


The Winter Trees: The Great Battle

by stepichu



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, FanClan(s) (Warriors), Gen, Original Character(s), RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), SkyClan (Warriors), StarClan (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:15:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepichu/pseuds/stepichu
Summary: When SkyClan left the Clans, a group of warriors left and formed two new Clans: ForestClan and IceClan. Now that the other four Clans have arrived at the Lake, the six Clans must live together, even though many believe the two newcomers are not deserving of the title of 'Clan.' Starting at 'The Fourth Apprentice', this story follows the warriors of ForestClan and IceClan as they struggle to maintain their place as Clans.All 'The Winter Trees' arc maintain as close to canon as I can manage, and with the exception of arc one (and possibly future arcs depending on the direction the books take) are completely original stories.Arc one, 'The Great Battle', focuses on the Omen of the Stars series from the perspective of a few cats in each fan clan.'The Winter Trees' and 'Lotus of the Three Waters' are on hold until I have a backlog of chapters to post. This will provide more consistent updates and higher quality chapters. Sorry for the wait!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	1. Allegiances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Original character allegiances. For canon allegiances, see Omen of the Stars Book 1: The Fourth Apprentice

** ForestClan **

Leader: Bloodstar – black and white she-cat with reddish paws and blue eyes

Deputy: Goldenwhisker – golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Medicine Cat: Tricklewater – bluish tabby she-cat with white paws and chest, and blue eyes

Warriors:

Thunderclaw – golden tom with green eyes  
Apprentice: Stonepaw

Riverpath – silver she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Flamepaw

Shadowstorm – longhaired dark gray tom with black stripes and amber eyes

Frostshine – white she-cat with gray eyes  
Apprentice: Heatherpaw

Stoneriver – light gray tom with icy blue eyes

Crowfur – black tom with green eyes

Ivystem – light brown she-cat with green eyes

Bramblethorn – dark brown tom with green eyes  
Apprentice: Harepaw

Windheart – light brown she-cat with green eyes  
Apprentice: Pebblepaw

Willowfur – light brown longhaired tabby she-cat with green eyes

Leafstream – tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Skyleap – white tom with amber eyes

Dawnfrost – light golden she-cat with white paws and amber eyes

Apprentices:

Flamepaw – ginger tom with amber eyes

Heatherpaw – very light golden she-cat with violet eyes

Harepaw – golden tom with green eyes

Stonepaw – dark gray tom with gray eyes

Pebblepaw – gray she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Thornfang – light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes (mother of Crowfur's kits, Branchkit and Featherkit)

Rosepelt – reddish she-cat with green eyes (mother of Skyleap's kits, Sootkit, Sunkit, and Blizzardkit)

Dustydawn – gray she-cat with white ear tips, paws, underbelly, and tail tip, and violet eyes (expecting Stoneriver's kits)

Elders:

Nightstorm – black and white tom with blue eyes

Dawnsun – light golden she-cat with amber eyes

Snowriver – white tom with one gray stripe and blue eyes

Dapplesky – tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

** IceClan **

Leader: Emberstar – elderly black tom with orange paws and bright amber eyes

Deputy: Stormcloud – smoky gray tom with icy blue eyes  
Apprentice: Thunderpaw

Medicine Cat: Spottedwhisker – brown tabby tom with golden eyes  
Apprentice: Rainpaw

Warriors:

Icewhisker – white she-cat with deep blue eyes  
Apprentice: Violetpaw

Snowcloud – white she-cat with black ears and tail tip, and blue eyes  
Apprentice: Shadepaw

Windfang – light, pale gray tom with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Tigerpaw

Nightclaw – black she-cat with deep blue eyes

Thornpelt – brown and white spotted tom with amber eyes

Leafstorm – black tom with green eyes

Lilypool – sandy brown she-cat with green eyes

Rubyclaw – tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentice: Robinpaw

Apprentices:

Shadepaw – black tom with white paws and white spot on chest, and blue eyes

Robinpaw – brown tom with orange belly and ice blue eyes

Rainpaw – smoky gray tom with ice blue eyes

Thunderpaw – smoky gray tom with ice blue eyes and twisted paw

Violetpaw – beautiful sandy she-cat with violet eyes

Tigerpaw – brown tabby tom with dark eyes

Elders:

Poppyleaf – white she-cat with pink-ish ears, tail tip, and paws, and violet eyes

Lionbreath – golden tom with green eyes and injured shoulder

** Other Cats **

Birch – gray tabby she-cat with hazel eyes

Falcon – large dark brown tabby tom with green eyes

Petal – sandy she-cat with green eyes


	2. Prologue

A snarl broke through the sound of rain, echoing through the trees. The she-cat arched her back, claws outstretched. Across the clearing, the gray tom paced, his long fur matted with mud and blood, teeth bared in challenge.

In one swift motion, the she-cat leapt into the air, rolling as she met the tom and dug her claws into his thick pelt. He let out a yelp and twisted around, jaws snapping towards her throat. She flipped onto her side, dragging him with her and digging her hind legs into his flank. His angry yowls rang through the forest, drowning out the thunder and lightning that lit up the sky as dark as his pelt.

Muscles rippled under his fur as he pulled himself out of her grip and lunged for her hind leg. He missed, but as he fell to the ground, he twisted onto his back and lashed out with his hind legs, sending her flying up into the air. She landed with a hard thud, wind knocked out of her lungs. As she struggled to regain her breath, he barrelled into her shoulder, and she heard a faint click as pain shot through her leg.

In a panic she whipped her head around and bit down hard on his ear. It tore off cleanly, blood spurting out of the wound and dripping into his face. He shook his head for a moment. The she-cat lashed out at his face, landing a solid strike at his muzzle, and as he staggered back, she ignored the screaming pain in her shoulder and lunged for his neck.

She managed, after a few agonizingly long heartbeats, to wrap both forepaws around the back of his head and bring it down to the ground. Before he could react, she reached down and sunk her jaws into his throat. Warm, salty blood filled her mouth.

He glared up at her, deep green eyes blazing not with terror, but with fury.

"You'll pay for this," he gasped, blood dripping out of his mouth. His gaze turned away from her. "I'll make you regret ever being born!"

As the light died from his eyes, his warning echoed in her ears, and rang through the trees one last time as she dropped his corpse from her grip. She turned, panting, to where he had fixated his gaze at the moment of his death.

A terrified apprentice crouched by the tree, shaking with fear and horror.


	3. A Summer Cold

There was little light, here. Tricklewater lifted her face to the sky, taking in a deep breath. The air smelled musky and vaguely of crowfood that had been left out in the greenleaf sun. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

As she explored the dark forest, she kept her ears pricked for danger. She could hear the whispers of strangers, the sound of claws scraping against dry earth and tree bark. In the distance, she thought she could hear the sound of a cat in pain.

A string of coughs interrupted her thoughts. Was there sickness here? She crouched low, slipping through the shadows towards the sound. They grew louder with every pawstep, echoing around her head, as though it were an important thought she had to remember.

A single cough rang through the air, louder than all the rest, and Tricklewater blinked awake. She was in her den. A few thin rays of moonlight streamed through the leaves that blocked the entrance. Yawning, she rose to her paws and stretched, tail high in the air. She was about to lay back down when another cough broke the silence.

"That must be Nightstorm," she muttered sleepily, turning around and digging through her stores for the honeycomb Windheart had found for her the day before.

The old tom had contracted a cough that was more annoying than it was deadly, and it had woken her up two nights in a row, now. She couldn't imagine what it was like in the elder's den, trying to sleep with that racket. Tricklewater wrapped her bundle of herbs in a beech leaf and quickly ducked out of the den.

She hurried across the empty clearing and nosed her way into the den opposite her own, reinforced with dried branches and bracken. The air in here smelled of sickness, but it was so dark that it took a moment for her bright blue eyes to adjust.

"You've got hearing as sharp as a bat," said a voice in the corner. Tricklewater glanced over at the white tom, tail curling in amusement.

"Only when someone's sick," she replied with a purr. "Is he keeping you up?"

"No more than usual," snorted the tortoiseshell and white she-cat across the den. "At least he isn't telling us stories about the 'good old days' now."

Nightstorm lifted his black and white head to look at her. "Sorry for thinking you enjoyed those stories," he rasped between coughs.

Tricklewater broke off some tansy and coated it in the honey from the comb before nudging it towards him. He gave it a suspicious sniff. "I'm sure they know you don't mean to keep them up," she cooed gently. "Maybe you should come sleep in my den until you're over this cough."

"I'm not that sick," he retorted. He licked up the plant and began chewing it, face scrunched up at the odd taste.

Snowriver draped one paw over his nose in frustration. "I would never have retired if I'd known he would be like this. Go sleep in the medicine den - it'll be good for you." The white tom flinched back as Nightstorm let out another loud cough. "How in StarClan's name is Dawnsun still asleep?"

Tricklewater followed his gaze to the golden she-cat, still sound asleep. Her chest rose and fell softly, as though she couldn't hear a thing.

"I think she's going deaf," said Dapplesky matter-of-factly. Tricklewater shrugged. There wasn't much she could do about that, and the tortoiseshell elder was probably right.

She ignored the elders' gossip and lowered her head to Nightstorm, giving him a good sniff for the sickness. It wouldn't go away right away, but she would have to keep a close eye on his fever. "Feel any better?"

"A bit," the old tom wheezed, licking a little bit of honey off his lips.

Nodding to the other elders, Tricklewater ducked back out of the den and towards her own. Hopefully now they could _all_ get some sleep.

She awoke to rays of sunlight glittering through the leaves covering the entrance to her den. The smell of herbs drifted around her as she stirred up dust, getting back to her paws. She couldn't hear Nightstorm coughing anymore. Yawning, she stepped out into the sun.

The camp was bustling with activity, cats making their way to and from the entrance and various dens without a care in the world. Tricklewater spotted a hunting patrol returning with fresh prey, and apprentices wrestling with one another in front of the nursery. Even warriors were playfighting. She purred cheerfully as she spotted Bramblethorn, for the third time that quarter-moon, showing Leafstream how he had caught a bird midair on a recent hunting patrol. The young warrior had been mooning after her for ages.

As she stretched, a patrol stormed into camp through the bramble entrance, tails lashing. Tricklewater lifted her head to watch them. It was Ivystem, Dawnfrost, Thunderclaw, and Stonepaw. As she observed, Ivystem ran to meet Goldenwhisker and murmured something in his ear. After a moment, the golden tabby tom sighed and turned to duck into Bloodstar's den, dismissing the patrol with a flick of his tail. Tricklewater followed him with her gaze, whiskers twitching with interest. _I wonder what happened on patrol._ They held no prey in their jaws, so they must have been on the morning border patrol.

Tricklewater kept one eye on the entrance to Bloodstar's den as she snatched up a thrush from the fresh-kill pile. It was a little cold, but the warm sun had kept it from becoming stale since a patrol had brought it back. A moment later, Bloodstar sulked out, her expression agitated. The black and white she-cat walked straight past the Fallen Tree and picked up a mouse, nodding for Tricklewater to follow her.

They made their way to a shady spot just outside the medicine den, settling down away from the hot sun. Bloodstar dove into her mouse without a word, tail flicking anxiously from side to side, a low growl rumbling in her throat.

"Did something happen?" Tricklewater asked, taking a bite of her thrush.

"RiverClan crossed the border again," her leader replied. "That's the third time this moon. Don't they have any respect for their borders?"

Tricklewater took another bite of her prey and shrugged. "I'm sure they don'tmean any harm. It was probably just an absentminded apprentice."

Bloodstar rested her head on her paws with a grunt. "In that case, their entire Clan is made up of absentminded apprentices. I told Goldenwhisker to up the patrols along that border," she added as an afterthought. Tricklewater nodded approvingly.

"That should help."

"Do the other Clans still think we're a bunch of rogues, or something?" Bloodstar let out a long sigh, tail dragging across the grass. "It's like they don't even care."

Tricklewater hesitated. ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan had arrived several seasons before, and all six Clans had been shocked and thrown into a state of disarray. In the end, the four Clans had made homes around the lake, while ForestClan and IceClan had maintained their territories closer to the valley, but had been granted access to the Moonpool and the island for gatherings. But many senior warriors still were not used to the arrangement, and tensions were high when the Clans met on the borders.

"I think," she began cautiously, "RiverClan is still getting used to an extra border to keep track of. They aren't used to Clans on three sides."

Bloodstar rolled her eyes. "They've been here since I was a kit. They can get used to us a little faster. I'm sorry," she added with a yawn. "I don't mean to complain about RiverClan all day. Though I could." Tricklewater let out an amused snort. "I saw you slept in today."

Tricklewater nodded slowly. "Nightstorm was keeping the entire elder's den awake with his coughing. I had to get up and give him some herbs." Bloodstar sat up in alarm.

"Is he alright?"

"I think so." Although Tricklewater wasn't lying, she herself wasn't quite convinced by her own words. Nightstorm was old, and the cough was stubborn. The fear of it turning into whitecough pricked uneasily at her chest, but she decided to keep her worries to herself. Mentioning them to Bloodstar would only stress her out even more. "He was just keeping up all of the elders with his coughing. It sounds like it's calmed down."

Bloodstar let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

Their conversation drifted to more relaxing topics as they finished their meal. Everything had been peaceful lately, and aside from RiverClan's antics and Nightstorm's cough, there was little of interest going on. It was a nice change. A few moons ago, the Clans had been in an uproar over Leafpool's breaking of the warrior code, and several other internal struggles. ForestClan and IceClan had refused to take part, but the tensions had crossed into their territories just as it bled through the other Clans' borders.

Partway through a small lesson on treating rat bites, the entrance to the camp quivered, and Flamepaw nosed through, two huge squirrels in his jaws. His mentor, Riverpath, followed close behind, a vole and a sparrow in her possession. Tricklewater watched for more cats, but the mentor and apprentice seemed to be the only ones. She realized it must have been a training session instead of a patrol.

Bloodstar rose to her paws, shaking out her fur. She lifted one red paw and began cleaning behind one of her ears as she said, "I'd better talk to Riverpath about making Flamepaw a warrior." Her voice quivered with excitement. Flamepaw would be the first warrior ceremony Bloodstar ever performed, as there had been a long absence of kits just before she had become leader. She brushed Tricklewater's flank with her tail gently. "Thanks for letting me vent a little." The tabby medicine cat let out a purr and pressed into her friend.

"Any time," she replied.

Tricklewater got to her paws and gave another stretch, feeling herself relax. A warrior ceremony would put everyone in a good mood.

She left her spot and ducked into the elder's den, relieved to hear only a faint wheezing from Nightstorm instead of his usual cough. It was Dawnsun sitting with him now, stroking him with her tail as he rested. Tricklewater doubted the old tom had gotten much sleep through his cough, even with the herbs.

She dipped her head to the golden she-cat graciously. Dawnsun nodded in return, but didn't reply. Tricklewater shuffled closer so she could get a better look at the elders.

Dawnsun looked healthy as ever, her light golden pelt shining in the sunlight that trickled through the entrance to the den built into the tree. Tricklewater remembered fondly that the old she-cat had nearly been forced into the elder's den, only retiring when her son, Goldenwhisker, had finally managed to convince her that she had done enough service to her Clan. Though, Tricklewater would occasionally see her return from a walk with a mouse in her jaws, despite her retirement.

Tricklewater sniffed at Nightstorm, forcing back the urge to reel as the stench of sickness and heat of fever hit her nose. She could tell without even touching him that his cough had turned into whitecough. Tricklewater swerved around him, pressing her ear close to his chest. She could hear the familiar gurgling in his chest that indicated the early stage of the disease. Frowning, she pressed one paw to his chest and left it there while he breathed. His breaths were rhythmic, but a little shaky, as though he were resisting the urge to cough. Gently, she nudged his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open to stare at her.

"You can cough if you need to," she soothed, brushing his chest with her paw. "No one will mind." When he didn't respond, Tricklewater changed her tone to be more forceful. "Give me a cough now, so I can see how you're doing."

Reluctantly, he coughed, but it was weak and quiet,obviously not the cough he needed to clear his chest. It took more urging by both Tricklewater and Dawnsun before he gave a clear and loud cough that sent mucus flying out of his mouth.

Tricklewater nodded encouragingly. "That's it," she said, "thank you." She pressed her ear to his chest once more, relieved to hear that the gurgling had lessened with his wheezing. "If you feel like you need to cough, please do," she ordered. "I'll be back with some borage for your fever." _And catmint,_ she thought to herself, fur catching on bracken as she slipped out of the den.

It must have been his coughs that she had heard in her dream, and not the coughs of a sick cat in that dark forest. Tricklewater paused as she entered her den. She had completely forgotten about it. Perhaps it had been just that - a dream? She shook out her pelt and dug through the stores for borage and catmint. Surely if it were a message from StarClan, she wouldn't have forgotten it so easily.

But remembering it now unsettled her and sent a shiver down her spine. _Just a bad dream_ , she told herself, frowning as the catmint she pulled out was dry and few and far between. She would need to collect some more. _Just a bad dream - I would_ know _if StarClan had sent it._

She crawled back out of her den, lost in thought. Jayfeather had been on edge since his sister had died, evident in the way he spoke less at the Moonpool, with more anger and resentment in his voice. Tricklewater wondered if it were just the loss of his littermate, or if it was something more. She shook her head and ducked into the elder's den. It was just grief.

Nightstorm ate the herbs with little complaint, although he was clearly disgruntled about having to do so. Tricklewater brushed his flank with her tail soothingly as he lapped them up, the dream already gone from her memory. She nodded approvingly. "Let me know if you need me," she mewed to the two elders.

She said her goodbyes quickly and exited the den, relieved to feel the warm sunshine on her back. She would need to figure out how Nighstorm, and only Nightstorm, had managed to contract whitecough, but at least the warm days would help keep the rest of the Clan healthy in the meantime. She wasn't sure what she would do if there was an outbreak.

Tricklewater pawed around at the stores once she re-entered her den, looking for anything that might be low other than catmint. She tended to keep her stores stocked at all times, but it had been at least a quarter-moon since she had last gone out to collect herbs. The corner she stored catmint in was practically empty, only a few specks stuck to her pad as she pulled her paw back. But the rest seemed to be in good supply, and she didn't dare ask a warrior to try and collect honeycomb for her.

Outside, she glanced around for someone to go with her to collect the good-smelling herb. The abandoned Twoleg den she collected catmint from was outside their territory, in the valley. It wasn't hard to get to, but it was a long way, and aggressive rogues were not entirely uncommon.

To her disappointment, Bloodstar's black-tipped tail was already disappearing through the entrance tunnel, the golden and light brown coats of Thunderclaw and Willowfur close behind. Tricklewater frowned, but glanced around the clearing for someone else who looked free. She called out towards the apprentice's den. "Heatherpaw! Harepaw! Come here for a moment!"

The two golden apprentices looked up from their playfighting, then tumbled over when they realized who had called them. Heatherpaw quickly began washing behind one ear to make herself more presentable.

Tricklewater ignored her, her gray pelt growing hot with embarrassment. She didn't think she was quite ready for that much respect. "Were your mentors taking you anywhere today, or can I borrow you for the afternoon?" she asked, praying to StarClan they were free. The clearing was half empty now that afternoon patrols were being sent out.

Heatherpaw seemed to think for a moment, but Harepaw answered with a quick, "Sure!" His sister's eyes narrowed.

"We were hunting all morning, so Frostshine and Bramblethorn said we could take the afternoon off," she continued seriously. "What can we do for you?"

The apprentice's politeness was off-putting. Tricklewater suppressed the urge to comment. "I need to collect catmint in the valley, and I want some help carrying it back. Will you two come with me?"

Although Harepaw agreed instantly, bouncing on his paws, Heatherpaw seemed reluctant. Tricklewater glanced at the young she-cat expectantly. Was this not something she could ask of apprentices? The twoleg nest wasn't particularly dangerous, it was just far from camp.

Tricklewater nodded in understanding. She had only been to the valley a pawful of times herself, and even then, she almost always had a warrior escort. She felt a burst of shame at having even asked the apprentices to help her. If even their mentors hadn't taken them, it was probably a bad idea.

"I'll come with you."

She turned at the new voice, her shoulders relaxing as she saw Shadowstorm padding towards them. He glanced kindly at the two apprentices before turning back to the tabby medicine cat. "The Twoleg den is closer than the Gathering Place," he continued. "I don't think their mentors will mind, if I come along, too."

Tricklewater nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I appreciate it. Heatherpaw, Harepaw, can you run and tell Goldenwhisker where we're going? We'll meet you outside the entrance."

They bounded off in a heartbeat, fur bristling with excitement. Tricklewater let out an amused purr as she led Shadowstorm out of the camp. "Were you that excited to see the valley when you were an apprentice?"

The dark gray tom shrugged. "Not really. We still used the Gathering Place when I was an apprentice, so it wasn't that special."

Tricklewater blinked. She often forgot that the Clans hadn't always been around the lake. They had arrived before she was born, driven out of their old home by Twolegs. Although tensions had eased since their initial arrival, a rift had grown between the senior warriors of the Clans who remembered a time before there were six Clans, and the younger cats who had known nothing but. She glanced out towards the lake, wondering how different things would have been if SkyClan had not left the other Clans.

They weren't allowed to discuss SkyClan. Not with any of the lake Clans, anyway. Emberstar and Rapidstar had come to that conclusion very quickly after meeting with the leaders of the other Clans. Bloodstar had followed in her father's wishes, out of respect for him and Emberstar, but it was obvious that she held the common resentment for the other Clans for not helping their ancestors.

With a flick of her tail, Tricklewater led Shadowstorm and the two apprentices towards the valley. At least they still had a few of their old traditions left.


	4. Ashes to Ashes

Bloodstar shook out her pelt as they neared camp, relishing the warmth of the greenleaf sun as it spread through her pelt.

The IceClan border had been quiet, as usual. Their Clan was small, meaning they had little use for much of their territory, especially the strip of forest near the border. Her patrol hadn't spotted anything out of the ordinary, nor had they even gotten a whiff of the cliff-loving warriors anywhere near the border. It had been uneventful, but at least Bloodstar had been able to see Flamepaw's skills with her own eyes. Although Riverpath insisted he wasn't ready for his warrior name, Bloodstar couldn't deny that he was getting close.

The ginger tom bounded ahead of the patrol, light on his paws and brimming with energy. Bloodstar's tail curled in amusement. Even the quiet and respectful Flamepaw had energy to burn, sometimes. Beside her, Stoneriver let out a snort of contempt, but he remained silent.

Bloodstar let Flamepaw push through the bramble entrance first, then followed behind him. The branches tugged at her fur and lightly scratched her face. She would have to have someone adjust them.

Before she could even make it through the other side, she heard at least four different cats call out her name in alarm. She blinked in surprise and shuffled quickly out of the tunnel, looking around at the camp with wide eyes. The fur along her spine began to bristle.  
  


It looked as though every cat in the Clan was there, pushing through bushes and dens, looking for something as though their lives depended on it. She whipped her head around to the cats who had called her name. One of them had been Goldenwhisker, she was pretty sure, and she spotted her deputy eagerly making his way through the crowd to meet her.

"Goldenwhisker, what's going on?" she asked, astonishment dripping from her voice. "What happened?"

"Sootkit's gone missing," he panted, glancing feverishly behind him. Bloodstar followed his gaze to the nursery, where she could see Skyleap pacing nervously and hear a haunting wail coming from inside. "We can't find her anywhere?"

Bloodstar tilted her head, confused. "How could she have gone missing? She's only a few days old." Goldenwhisker just shook his head in response.

"We don't know. There's no scent of fox, hawk, or anything. It's like she vanished into thin air."

Irritation pricked at her chest. "That's not even possible. Her scent must lead _somewhere_. Has anyone looked outside camp?"

"Frostshine took Pebblepaw and Bramblethorn out just before you arrived."

Bloodstar frowned. A kit couldn't just go _missing_ in the middle of the day without any kind of scent trail. She thought about poor Rosepelt, still wailing for her lost kit inside the nursery. There was no way anyone could have taken a kit from her if she had been there, not even Skyleap or Tricklewater.

She dragged her gaze away from the nursery to look back at Goldenwhisker. Worry flashed in his deep amber eyes, but he stood still, waiting for her order. Bloodstar's fur stood up around her neck. She would have to make some kind of decision.

"Where's Shadowstorm?" she finally asked, thoughts racing. "He's the best tracker. If anyone could follow Sootkit's scent, he could."

Goldenwhisker shook his head. "He went out with Tricklewater, Heatherpaw, and Harepaw to collect herbs in the valley," he explained.

"Then I'll go get him," she decided firmly. "There's no way she just vanished."

She turned to duck back through the entrance tunnel, but Goldenwhisker bounded in front of her, eyes wide. "That will take way too long!"

"She can't be in camp!" Bloodstar retorted. She lashed her tail in frustration. "The entire Clan is looking for her! I'll get Shadowstorm and we can at least try to follow her scent."

Goldenwhisker opened his mouth to argue, but Crowfur appeared beside him, ears perked hopefully. "Did you see any sign of her outside camp?" he asked, voice quivering. Bloodstar swallowed nervously. He had kits in the nursery right now, too. If Sootkit had been taken, then Branchkit or Featherkit could have been just as easily.

She shook her head sadly. "We didn't even know she was gone. I'm going to go get Shadowstorm so he can track her scent." Goldenwhisker began to object again, but Bloodstar silenced him with a glare. As much as she appreciated his counsel, she knew Shadowstorm was their only hope at the moment. "I won't be of any help in here anyway."

"Let me help," Crowfur said, lifting his chin. "I don't feel very useful here."

She didn't have time to argue. Bloodstar nodded and slipped through the tunnel before Goldenwhisker could try and stop her.

The found the patrol's scent immediately and began to follow it, hopeful that they could catch them as they returned, or at least before they got too far out.They ran through the trees, leaping over and around obstacles with ease. As they got closer to the valley, the trees began to thin out, until eventually they sprinted across the scent line and burst into the open.

The valley was a large field, stretching farther than they could see to one side and morphing into rough terrain on the other. Mountains encircled it, cliffs dotting parts of the hills on either side of the field. Bushes and trees grew there, but they were so few and far between that the area looked more like WindClan territory than that of any other Clan. They could see what was left of an abandoned Twoleg nest towards the rough terrain, and a large gathering of trees where ForestClan and IceClan once held gatherings in the other direction. With only a moment's hesitation, Bloodstar turned to the abandoned Twoleg nest. She knew Tricklewater and Spottedwhisker both collected catmint there, and if Nightstorm had been coughing the last few nights, that was likely where the bluish tabby she-cat had taken her patrol.

Out of breath, chests heaving, Bloodstar and Crowfur skidded to a halt outside the nest just as Harepaw emerged, a bundle of the sweet-smelling catmint in his jaws. He dropped it in surprise. He turned around to call the rest of his patrol.

Tricklewater was first out, the scent of catmint coating her soft, bluish grey fur. She wrapped herself around the two cats, sniffing them for injuries, but both of them were too out of breath to stop her.

"What's going on?" asked Shadowstorm, next out of the den. He was followed by Heatherpaw, and a pretty sandy she-cat that carried the scent of no Clan. She dropped a small bundle of catmint at her paws, thin ears tilted to one side with interest.

"Sootkit's missing," Crowfur gasped, swatting Tricklewater away with one paw. He seemed to swallow a breath of fresh air as he let out a long, shaky breath.

Bloodstar nodded, her shoulders heaving with the effort of just breathing. She didn't think she had ever run so far at once in her life. "We needed Shadowstorm," she continued.

The dark tom blinked in surprise. "Of course." He looked awkwardly between the medicine cat and the two warriors, but dipped his head and stepped away from the patrol. "Where do we start?"

"We can't find her scent in camp," explained Crowfur. His breath was a little steadier now. "I guess we'd have to start right at the nursery."

"Let me come!" Harepaw bounced on his paws, yellow fur bristling. "I'm fast! I can help!"

Shadowstorm shook his head. "We need to track her, not race her."

Heatherpaw lifted her head diligently. "He can help! We need to find her right away, so he can follow the trail as soon as you find it."

Bloodstar admired the young she-cat's faith in her brother. She dipped her head, not wanting to waste time arguing.

"What about these herbs?" asked the sandy she-cat, turning her light green eyes to the group of Clan cats.

Bloodstar now recognized her as Petal. She was a loner who lived near the abandoned nest, and liked to hunt in the area around it. She had never been hostile to either Clan, so they had never bothered to chase her away from their precious catmint supply. Eventually, she had become known as an ally to both Clans. By the scent clinging to her, Bloodstar guessed she had been helping them collect the catmint.

Tricklewater dipped her head respectfully. "We'll have to manage."

Petal tilted her head. "I can help you carry it back, if you'll allow me. It sounds like you could use a few extra paws." Tricklewater blinked and looked at her leader for permission.

Bloodstar flicked her tail. They didn't have time for this. "Sure, just have a warrior escort you back when you're done. We have to get moving."

She didn't wait for a reply, instead turning tail and running back to ForestClan territory. She could only hope Petal was trustworthy enough to take to their camp.

Harepaw raced ahead of them, his yellow fur disappearing into the undergrowth as they made their way back to camp. By the time they had finally caught up with him, out of breath once more, he was sniffing around the nursery, ignoring Skyleap's pacing as though the white tom wasn't there at all. Harepaw lifted his head as they approached, and Bloodstar looked at him expectantly, but he simply shook his head and stepped aside to let Shadowstorm take over.

The three cats waited with baited breath for him to pick up the missing kit's scent. Shadowstorm ducked his nose into every bush, every hole, tail lashing anxiously behind him. Finally, he lifted his head, eyes bright. "I found it! It goes towards the lake!"

Bloodstar lowered her head next to his to see if she could smell it. It was faint, but there.She opened her jaws to taste the air. There was something else, too. It was just as faint, and smelled slightly of the forest after a long rain. She frowned, trying to place it. It was a little familiar, but more like something she had scented in a dream a long, long time ago.

Harepaw bolted off without a word, leaving the three warriors to follow more carefully, letting Shadowstorm take the lead as he stuck strictly to the scent of the kit. Bloodstar and Crowfur spread out a little, calling for her and diving into bushes,hoping to see the tiny she-cat hiding close to camp.

Once, Bloodstar was sure she'd found her, but when she went to investigate it was just a large mouse that scittered away from her as soon as she was within a few pawsteps. She sighed, watching as Crowfur stuffed his muzzle into an old rabbit's den and Shadowstorm kept moving forward, nose to the ground. This was beginning to look hopeless. But how could a kit disappear like that? She hadn't even opened her eyes.

By the time they reached the RiverClan border, their hopes had diminished greatly. Harepaw paced as he waited, and with a sunken heart Bloodstar realized he hadn't found any sign of her, either. She glanced at Shadowstorm, but the large dark gray tom hadn't seemed to have noticed.

He lifted his head, eyes dark. "The scent crosses the border," he announced gravely. Harepaw let out a wail.

"We have to cross it," Bloodstar insisted, feeling panic rise in her throat. "RiverClan will understand – she's just a kit." She followed his gaze towards the lake. They were at the part of the border RiverClan let them use for gatherings, where the land was a little dryer and it was a relatively straight path to the shore of the lake.

"Bloodstar's right," Crowfur agreed, though his black fur was standing on end. "They can't stop us from trying to help a kit."

Shadowstorm shrugged and crossed the scent line.

Reluctantly, Harepaw followed them, but instead of running ahead of them as he had done before, he stuck himself between the warriors, ears pricked for any sign of a RiverClan patrol. Bloodstar motioned for Crowfur to guard them on the opposite side of her, then slunk into the reeds as they made their way towards the lake. She knew she would have to talk to Leopardstar after this no matter what, but if they could avoid a confrontation with a patrol, it would be all the better.

She always forgot how _wet_ RiverClan's territory was, even though they had to cross it to get to Gathering severy moon. It seemed like Shadowstorm lost Sootkit's scent every few pawsteps thanks to the marsh and overwhelming fishy stench of RiverClan. Bloodstar opened her jaws to taste the air. All she could smell was marsh and RiverClan. How the fishbrains could get any hunting done here was beyond her.

Shadowstorm stopped, circling around one clump of reeds. As Bloodstar reached him and Harepaw, he looked up. His gaze was frantic. "I've lost it," he announced, sounding small. "I can't make it out through all the RiverClan here."

Bloodstar's heart sank through her chest. They had come so far! To think that they had managed to track it all the way to the heart of RiverClan's territory, only to lose it in the scent of their neighbouring Clan. It made her feel as though they had lost a very important battle. "Are you sure?" she asked, desperation lacing her voice. "She can't have just vanished!"

The dark tom shook his head. "Even I can't track very well in another Clan's territory."

Crowfur tilted his head. "Why don't we ask RiverClan for help? You could show them her scent. They'll be able to make it out better here than we can."

"We'd be announcing to RiverClan that we're on their territory," Bloodstar pointed out. The thought made her uneasy. She was supposed to be leading her Clan to follow the warrior code, but here she was, taking a patrol strolling across the border like it was no big deal. She knew it was to find a kit, but regardless, it felt wrong. "There's no guarantee they won't attack on sight." Harepaw kneaded the ground with his forepaws.

"We can't just leave her!" Without waiting for a reply, he dashed off into the reeds.

Bloodstar blinked in surprise, barely registering Crowfur call out after the apprentice in frustration. She hadn't expected him to take such initiative. She glanced at the two toms. "Should we go after him?"

Shadowstorm narrowed his eyes and sat down, using one paw to quickly clean behind one ear. "Up to you."

Her fur grew hot with embarrassment. She was their leader, and had just ordered them to march onto another Clan's territory, but she was still unsure of what to do. If they followed Harepaw, a patrol would accuse them of attacking. If they didn't, he might be taken back to RiverClan's camp and held against his will.

"Let's wait," suggested Crowfur. His tone was calm, but his tail lashed from side to side – clearly angry that Harepaw had run off without permission. "We don't need two of us getting caught by a patrol. One is enough."

Bloodstar sat down and curled her tail around her reddish paws. He was probably right. At least this way, they wouldn't _all_ become separated. She began to feel her heart pound rapidly in her chest. It was as though all that was happening had only just now caught up to her. She swallowed a lump in her throat. _I wish Rapidstar were here._

He had always seemed to know what to do. Bloodstar had rarely seen him falter, even when fire had ravished through their territory. He had leapt through the flames to save their Clanmates without a second thought, known where to meet everyone, known what to do in case their exit plan failed. He had been so sure of himself. At the moment, Bloodstar felt the exact opposite.

After what felt like moons, the reeds began to rustle. Bloodstar lifted her head, shoulders tensing. But thankfully, Mistyfoot was the first to appear, and her gray fur was lying flat.

That couldn't be said for the rest of her patrol, however. A light brown tabby tom and dark gray and white she-cat emerged next, Harepaw between them. The apprentice had his head held high, but his tail was quivering, and Bloodstar couldn't tell if it was from excitement or fear. The two RiverClan warriors were bristling, their glossy fur standing up along their spines. They cast warning glances at Harepaw as they reached the ForestClan warriors, as though daring him to run.

Mistyfoot dipped her head, but her voice held a strong edge to it as she said, "Your apprentice was spouting some nonsense about a kit going missing."

"It's not nonsense!" snapped Harepaw, but he shrunk away from her as Mistyfoot shot him a warning glance. Bloodstar lowered her head respectfully.

"He's right," she explained. "One of our kits vanished from her nest. We've traced her scent this far, but we lose it around here. We need your help."

The tabby tom snorted. "And what makes you think we'll help?" Mistyfoot silenced him with a glare.

"Mallownose has a point," she continued cautiously. "You're the trespassers, here."

"A kit has gone missing," Crowfur snapped back. Mistyfoot flinched, taken aback. Bloodstar guessed she hadn't been expecting anyone to talk back to her. "It is your duty to the warrior code to help us find her!" His black fur stood on end as he stared her down.

"She's not a RiverClan kit," Mallownose growled. "For all we know, you're using this as an excuse to steal prey."

"We aren't-" Harepaw began to speak, but apparently he thought better of it. He scrunched up his face and looked away.

Bloodstar raised her head. "It's the middle of greenleaf - why would we need to steal prey? We just need help bringing this kit home." She prayed to StarClan that Mistyfoot would demonstrate some empathy and help them, but the look on Mallownose's face told her that wouldn't be happening.

Mallownose crouched low and let out a snarl, this time ignoring the look his deputy gave him. "Like we'd believe that a kit made it this far."

Shadowstorm thrust his muzzle towards the tom. "Come see where her trail leads and say that again."

The brown tom leapt. Instinctively, Bloodstar flung herself after him. They toppled to the ground in front of Shadowstorm, rolling into a wet patch of ground. Bloodstar felt the mud soak into her fur and repressed a shudder of disgust. She heaved Mallownose off of her and pushed him away with one red paw. He struggled against her weight, but after a moment he let his body relax and slunk back towards the reeds, spine arched.

"Enough, Mallownose," ordered Mistyfoot sternly. Reluctantly, he let his fur lie flat. "Minnowtail."

Bloodstar began to lick the mud off her fur as she watched the sleek she-cat begin to trace Sootkit's scent. _Hopefully she can track it here,_ she thought. The gray and white warrior gave Mistyfoot a quick nod and began padding towards the shore, her nose to the ground, Shadowstorm at her heels.

"Definitely a kit," Minnowtail called back over her shoulder. Mistyfoot blinked in surprise and motioned for Mallownose to follow, leaving Harepaw to return to his Clanmates. He scampered over as soon as they began to move.

Bloodstar hung back as they followed the trail, unease pricking at her chest. The closer they got to the shore of the lake, the more she felt as though there was nothing there to find. But if Sootkit wouldn't be at the end of the trail, then what could have happened to her? How had she even gotten out of her nest? The kit was hardly a quarter-moon old, and smaller than some of the prey her Clan brought back from patrols. And yet, there had been no sign of fox or other animals that preyed on cats. Bloodstar felt a shudder go through her pelt.

The lake was lower than it normally was. Where once she would have expected water, she saw only rock and sand. Reeds had dried out, leaving clumps of stiff grass in its wake. Bloodstar lifted her head to stare out over the water. It seemed smaller on all sides, not just RiverClan's. It had been dry lately, but she didn't think it had been _this_ dry. She now understood why RiverClan had immediately accused them of stealing prey.

Minnowtail stopped at the water's edge, staring out across the lake. From where she was at the back of the patrol, Bloodstar couldn't hear what Shadowstorm murmured to her, but she simply shook her head, causing the dark gray tom to freeze in place.

Mistyfoot called out to her impatiently. "What's wrong? Where does the trail lead?"

Her warrior turned back, and now Bloodstar could see the horror reflecting in her amber eyes. "It leads into the lake, Mistyfoot," she replied, her voice shaking. Bloodstar suddenly felt very cold. "It's as though she jumped in."

"She can't have," Crowfur gasped. "She's barely a few days old."

"Then someone threw her in. The trail ends here."

With a jolt, Mistyfoot and Mallownose ran to the shore and began sniffing where Minnowtail had lost the trail. Bloodstar could only watch as they waded into the lake, then dove underwater. A few heartbeats later, they resurfaced and shook their heads. Harepaw let out a distressed wail. Mallownose began to shake himself dry as Mistyfoot slowly padded her way to Bloodstar.

The gray she-cat bowed her head respectfully. "I'm sorry," she murmured, and Bloodstar could hear the real sorrow in her mew. "Even RiverClan kits can't swim that young."

Bloodstar dipped her head gratefully. "It's not your fault. Thank you for believing us."

Crowfur pressed himself next to Harepaw and called out to the RiverClan cats. "Were there any other scents mixed in, at least? If it was a cat that did this, they need to be punished."

Bloodstar wanted to argue with him, but there was no other way this could have happened. _Someone_ had taken Sootkit out of her nest and threw her into the lake - she couldn't have crawled this far on her own. She glanced at Minnowtail hopefully, but reluctantly. She didn't want to believe that any of her Clanmates could have done this.

But the young she-cat simply shook her head. "Her scent was a little musty, but otherwise no. It seems like she wandered out on her own." Crowfur narrowed his eyes, but Shadowstorm quickly padded up and flicked his fluffy tail in the black tom's face.

"She's right," he agreed. "Come on, we need to tell the Clan they can stop searching."

Mistyfoot nodded towards the trees of ForestClan territory. "Go on. I'll tell Leopardstar why you were on our territory."

"Thank you," Bloodstar replied, dipping her head. She turned her back to the RiverClan cats and started walking, though her paws felt heavy with grief and anxiousness. What in StarClan's name was she going to tell Skyleap and Rosepelt?


	5. Fortune Favours the Bold

The stone was cool under his paws. Carefully, he placed another paw forward, making sure to keep his claws sheathed. If they were even slightly extended, they would scrape against the stone of the cliff and alert the mouse that it was being stalked. He kept his tail off the ground, not wanting to stir up any of the greenleaf dust that coated the cliffs.

He remembered his mentor explaining the way the cliffs changed with the seasons, more than the other Clans' territories. In greenleaf, when it was dry and warm, dust from the grassy parts of the territory covered the stone, and could be stirred up into small dust storms or into the face of unsuspecting targets. But when leaf-fall arrived, the rains washed away the dust and made everything slippery, causing travel around the territory more dangerous than normal.

Thunderpaw lowered himself for the pounce, ice blue eyes focused intently on the mouse. It still hadn't noticed him. He placed his weight on his back leg and prepared to leap.

A yowl sounded from a cliff above him. Thunderpaw jumped, and the mouse scampered away before he had even realized what had happened. He sat up and let out an annoyed snort.Glancing up to the other cliff, he couldn't see anyone, but could faintly hear someone mewing triumphantly.

Frustrated, he bunched up his back leg and propelled himself up to the next ledge, wincing as his bad leg skimmed the edge. He was now on the plateau – the stretch of stone along their cliffs that was flat for the largest area of any others. If his gaze followed towards the lake, he could see the well-travelled ledges that led to the more dangerous route to their camp, as well as the gentler slope that the elders usually preferred. The stone was pale and dry, the few shrubs along the plateau dry with the intense sun that beat down on the cliffs.

Thunderpaw looked around for the source of the yowl, and was unsurprised to find the brown and orange tom close by, stuffing a catch into a crevice at the bottom of one of the ledges. Thunderpaw snorted and stormed up to him.

"You made me lose my catch!" he accused, pelt prickling with frustration.

Robinpaw lifted his head sheepishly. "Oh, come on, it's not like you were right behind me."

Thunderpaw's whiskers twitched. "You were making enough noise to echo through the entire territory. My mouse heard you and ran off before I could even react."

Robinpaw gave his ear a quick, nonchalant wash. "Maybe you just need to be faster."

"Or maybe you could learn not to be so loud."

"Great StarClan, I could almost hear you two from camp."

They turned around. Thunderpaw's spine began to bristle as he watched Stormcloud leap from one of the crags nearby. He hadn't realized their father had been watching them. Had this been an assessment, and they didn't know it? The gray tom had become known for using rather unconventional training and assessment methods recently. In one instance, he had given the apprentices a battle assessment where all they had to do was race from the lowest point in the foothills to the highest. Thunderpaw had, unsurprisingly, done poorly.

Robinpaw gave the deputy a shrug. "Thunderpaw's blaming me for his poor hunting skills."

He snapped his head to face his brother, annoyed. "Am not! You're just scaring off all the prey!"

Sighing, Stormcloud separated his sons with his tail. "That's enough," he mewed, his tone stern. "Robinpaw, we both know you're in the wrong here. I could hear that yowl from halfway across the plateau." Thunderpaw could barely hide his enthusiasm as Robinpaw sunk to the ground, clearly embarrassed. "I've half a mind to keep you from going to the Gathering tonight."

Startled, Robinpaw shot up, blue eyes blazing with fear. "Not that! I'm sorry!"

"Apologize to Thunderpaw, not to me."

Thunderpaw's whiskers twitched, but he accepted his brother's apology with a quick nod. He would never hear the end of it if he didn't. Stormcloud gave the brown tom an approving nod.

"Thunderpaw, go see if you can catch something below the plateau," he ordered. "I think Robinpaw can carry both of your catches."

Robinpaw laid his ears flat against his head. "The rabbit I caught was nearly as big as me! I can't carry that and Thunderpaw's catch!" Stormcloud shrugged.

"Oh, well. I'm sure Violetpaw and Tigerpaw would love to go to the Gathering in your place."

Thunderpaw shot a glance at his brother, a satisfied purr rumbling in his throat. He'd been talking for days about how he and Thunderpaw had been chosen to go instead of the younger apprentices after they had mouthed off to Windfang. Giving that up would probably be worse than searching the elders for ticks for a moon.

He bounded off the edge of the cliff before he could hear Robinpaw's reply. He was glad it was his own mentor that had caught them, and not Rubyclaw. She was always so soft with Robinpaw – Thunderpaw could only guess that's how he got away with being so arrogant. Though he couldn't deny that having their father as his mentor had some perks.

As he reached a lower cliff, he opened his jaws to smell the air. He could still scent the mouse Robinpaw had scared off, but on top oft hat was the more recent smell of vole. He crouched low, thankful that his smoky gray pelt blended in so well with the rock of the foothills. Apparently other foothills were usually browner in colour, but the ones IceClan called home were a fortunate exception.

He spotted it nibbling on a seed only a few foxlengths away. It hadn't noticed him, the wind blowing in Thunderpaw's favour. He kept his body low, barely remembering to keep his tail and bad paw off the ground. If they dragged, then the vole would hear him and flee. Cautiously, he shuffled forward, eyes following the vole intensely. When he was close enough that he was confident he could make the leap, he pounced. Thunderpaw felt a rush of satisfaction as he delivered the killing blow.

Before he could stand upright again, he felt the ground give way underneath him. One paw slipped, then the other. Scrambling, Thunderpaw desperately reached for the cliff edge, the vole firmly in his jaws. Thankfully, he managed to reach a solid ledge before he plummeted to his death. Heart pounding, he used his back leg to heave himself up, until he was able to balance on what was left of the thin cliff edge. He dropped the vole at his paws and took a few deep breaths.

"Are you alright? I heard the rock give way!"

Thunderpaw glanced up, relieved to see his father and brother peering over the edge of the plateau. He nodded and scooped up the vole again, grateful to make his way back to solid ground. He looked over his shoulder and gave a shudder. Had he landed half a tail length further, he wouldn't have been able to grab onto anything and stop himself from falling.

Stormcloud immediately began showering him in concerned licks. Thunderpaw pushed him away. "I'm alright," he said, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

Robinpaw peered over their father's shoulder. "You almost landed where the rock gave way," he gasped, ice blue eyes wide with astonishment.

"I did land there," Thunderpaw explained. "I managed to grab onto the ledge as I fell."

"Was there a scratch on that cliff?" asked Stormcloud, brushing his tail over Thunderpaw's shoulders as he stole a look over the edge of the plateau. The warriors usually marked unstable ledges with scratches to warn their clanmates that it wouldn't hold their weight. Thunderpaw shook his head.

"I didn't see one, but I might have just missed it."

Stormcloud frowned. "I'll have Nightcloud take a patrol to look for unstable cliffs. It's been so dry that they've been crumbling more easily than usual." He flicked his tail towards camp. "Come on, we'd better get those catches home and have Spottedwhisker take a look at you."

Thunderpaw rolled his eyes as Robinpaw struggled to pick up the two catches. "I told you, I'm fine."

Stormcloud didn't look back as he retorted, "Then you can go tell your brother how you almost fell off the cliff and let him look you over." Thunderpaw reluctantly followed. Rainpaw, his other littermate, was training to be a medicine cat, and had a tendency to worry more than necessary. He had recently watched him go over Poppyleaf's ticks right after he had supervised Tigerpaw doing it.

Thunderpaw eventually felt sorry for Robinpaw and had taken his vole to carry himself, letting the brown tom struggle with the huge rabbit. He was right – it was almost as big as him. He would have to ask Robinpaw how he had caught it once their mouths weren't full of fresh-kill.

Finally, they spotted the well-hidden stone tunnel that led to camp. It was small, but as their Clanmates had used it over the generations,it had gradually widened until two cats could walk through it, although it was still a tight squeeze. The entrance was covered by the dry shrubbery that expanded their territory, disguising it into the rock. This close, they could hear cats inside, but Thunderpaw had to guess that if they didn't know where the entrance was, any cat trying to find their way in would get horribly confused. He followed his father and brother as they ducked through the entrance.

The camp seemed to be having a lazy day. Emberstar was sitting on the ledge outside his den, lazily swatting Spottedwhisker away as he tried to look him over. Tigerpaw and Shadepaw were wrestling outside the apprentices' den, while Violetpaw pretended to have no interest. It was obvious, even from across from the camp, that she was still watching intently. Thunderpaw could see the tip of Rainpaw's tail sticking out of the medicine cat's den, probably sorting herbs or cleaning out the nests. Thunderpaw followed Robinpaw and dropped his catch on the fresh-kill pile sheltered under a dent in the Flatrock.

Stormcloud nodded to the medicine cat's den. "Go have Rainpaw look you over, then you can eat," he ordered sternly. Thunderpaw's tail drooped. He was fine!

Seeing the look in his father's eyes, Thunderpaw decided there was no point in arguing. He dragged himself across the clearing, staring longingly up at the cliffs that surrounded the camp. A natural crater had formed here, and elders told stories of the moon crashing into the foothills to cause it. They said this was why IceClan had a special connection to StarClan, and why they had chosen this spot as their camp. Thunderpaw had always figured it was just because it was well-sheltered from the wind, and some of the cliff walls extended to makeshift rooves over parts of the camp. There were even caves in some places, namely Emberstar and Spottedwhisker's dens. The nursery was partly in the wall as well, but it had been empty for two moons now.

Rainpaw quickly whipped around and poked his muzzle out of the den as Thunderpaw arrived, Robinpaw on his heels. He hadn't even noticed his brother following. He turned quizzically. "Did he tell you to come, too?"

Robinpaw snorted. "I'm allowed to spend time with my littermates."

"Something happen?" asked Rainpaw, tilting his head. A bitter-smelling leaf drifted off his ear as he did so.

"Thunderpaw almost fell off a cliff."

Rainpaw's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself? Pull a muscle? Tear a claw?" He slid out of the den and began sniffing Thunderpaw's legs. He shook him off.

"I'm fine, really," he repeated, frustrated. He hated that everyone treated him like a kit. "I didn't pull anything."

"Thunderpaw said he landed on the unsteady cliff," Robinpaw explained, "but then managed to get onto the sturdy one before he fell. All without dropping his vole!" He puffed out his orange chest proudly, as though he had been the one to survive a crumbling cliff. Rainpaw blinked in surprise.

"I'm surprised you didn't drop the vole. I barely slipped on a small ledge the other day and dropped tansy right down the cliff." He shrunk down embarrassedly. "Spottedwhisker really let me have it."

Robinpaw rolled his eyes. "That old grump lets everyone have it."

"That old grump is your medicine cat and your kin," growled a voice behind them, "and you'd do well to treat him with a little respect once in a while."

Thunderpaw and Robinpaw whipped around, fur bristling. Spottedwhiskerhad appeared almost out of thin air behind them. The spotted tabby tom's eyes were narrowed in anger. When had he left Emberstar's den?

They gave quick nods to Rainpaw and fled before he could give them a chore, Robinpaw muttering the fastest apology Thunderpaw had ever heard. By the time they could no longer feel the medicine cat's hard stare burning into their pelts, they were hiding behind Flatrock.

"Great StarClan he's scary," Robinpaw panted, peering around the Flatrock to make sure he was gone.

"If looks could kill," Thunderpaw agreed.

Rubyclaw padded up to them, amber eyes glinting with amusement. "Spottedwhisker giving you two chores?"

Robinpaw sat up immediately. Thunderpaw repressed an amused snort. He was always so perfect in front of his mentor. "No, Rubyclaw," Thunderpaw replied politely. "He just heard Robinpaw complaining about him." He let out a purr as Robinpaw nudged him angrily. The tortoiseshell she-cat blinked sympathetically.

"Oh, you know how he is. I'm sure he doesn't mean it." She brushed her long tail reassuringly over them.

"Has he always been such a grump?" Robinpaw asked, blinking up innocently at his mentor. Thunderpaw resisted a snort of laughter.

Rubyclaw shrugged. "Since day one. Hard to believe him and Stomcloud are littermates, isn't it?"

Thunderpaw couldn't help but nod. They didn't even look alike. Sometimes he wondered if Spottedwhisker and Thornpelt were the siblings, and Stormcloud was the former rogue, but he didn't dare ask. Besides, the deathly glares Lionbreath occasionally gave Thornpelt were enough to prove that theory wrong.

Before they could continue the conversation, the brown and white tom ducked out of the warrior's den, calling for Shadepaw. Snowcloud was on his heels, her white fur shining in the greenleaf sun. Rubyclaw dipped her head to the apprentices.

"I'd better go," she announced, raising to her paws. Robinpaw let out a wail.

"Are you going on a patrol? Can I come?"

Rubyclaw purred and gave her apprentice an affectionate lick over the ear. "I promised Stormcloud he could oversee your training today. We can go on a border patrol tomorrow."

Thunderpaw watched his brother sympathetically as his mentor followed the other warriors back through the entrance tunnel and into the foothills. Stormcloud oversaw much of the apprentices' training, meaning some days the other apprentices didn't spend time with their own mentors at all. Thunderpaw had always thought it was a little unfair, but Stormcloud liked to keep himself busy, as though he needed the distraction. He claimed it was to open up warriors for patrols.

"Do you ever wonder if that 'IceClan Curse' thing is real?" he asked absentmindedly, eyes drifting back to the entrance tunnel. Robinpaw only shrugged.

The younger warriors all dismissed it, but the elders told stories of a greater period for their Clan, when they had as many warriors as ForestClan, and they didn't have stretches of unused territory. Over the seasons, IceClan had grown smaller and smaller, losing warriors to strange accidents or illnesses one after another. Lionbreath himself claimed he was a victim of the curse, forced to retire early when a badger had injured his shoulder so badly he could no longer hunt or fight.

Robinpaw eyed him warily. "Why do you ask?"

Thunderpaw wasn't sure. He let out a yawn. "Well, I'm not exactly the perfect candidate for warrior, and we haven't had kits in a while. We're, what, half the size of ForestClan?" Robinpaw snorted.

"Who cares how many of those treebrains there are? I could take on three of them single-pawed." He stood up and bushed out his fur as if to make a point. "They wouldn't last two heartbeats in the cliffs."

Thunderpaw let out an amused purr. Robinpaw was right, of course. He couldn't imagine any of the ForestClan cats trying to wander around their territory, getting lost in the maze of cliff ledges.

"Besides," his brother continued, "you caught a vole on a broken ledge today. If that doesn't make you the perfect candidate to be a warrior, then I don't know what would. Even Windfang couldn't have done that."

Thunderpaw's fur flushed hot with embarrassment. His twisted back paw tingled as though it had gone numb.

He turned as he felt eyes boring into him, pelt bristling as he realized it was Lionbreath. The ginger tom was laying half-inside the elder's den, eyes narrowed. Thunderpaw swallowed a lump in his throat. Lionbreath had never liked him, reasons varying from his attitude to the fact that Thunderpaw also had a bad leg, but he could still hunt and fight for their Clan. It seemed to depend on the day.

Suddenly, Robinpaw's eyes lit up, as though he had had a marvellous idea. Thunderpaw's heart sank. "What?"

"What if we found a way to break this curse?"

Thunderpaw looked at him as though he had grown wings and flown away. "How in StarClan's name could we do that?"

Robinpaw frowned. He clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. "We ask StarClan nicely?"

"I don't think that would work."

"It might," said Rainpaw. Thunderpaw jumped.

"When did you get here?"

Rainpaw shrugged, a leaf of some kind of herb falling off his pelt and onto the stone floor of the camp. "The Moonfall is out in the valley - it's where we met with our ancestors before the other Clans found the Moonpool."

Thunderpaw twitched one ear in interest. "Why don't we use it anymore?"

"Mostly out of respect for the other four, because it's so far for them, but the Moonpool also has a slightly stronger connection to StarClan because the water there is still. I don't think they even know about it."

Robinpaw's eyes went wide. "Really? So it's what, an IceClan-ForestClan secret?"

"Pretty much."

"That's perfect!" He leapt to his paws. "We could head there and ask StarClan how to stop the curse!"

Thunderpaw shrugged. "Sure. But we can't go now, right? We'd have to go at night." Rainpaw nodded, tail curling around his paws.

"That's when the connection to StarClan is at its strongest."

Robinpaw flexed his claws over the stone. "Then let's go tonight! We can sneak out through the dirtplace tunnel."

Thunderpaw was about to reluctantly agree when a screech broke through the air.

Every head in camp turned to the entrance, all conversation dying down to an uncomfortable silence. After an agonizing heartbeat, Shadepaw burst through the tunnel, his black pelt littered with dead branches, dust, and what smelled like blood. His blue eyes were wide with terror. Spottedwhisker was out of his den in an instant, Emberstar scrambling down from his den.

"What happened?" asked Poppyleaf, slipping out of the elder's den.

"Dog!" Shadepaw cried. Thunderpaw could see now that he was shaking so much it was as though an earthquake was occurring under his pelt. "It got Rubyclaw!"

Spottedwhisker sprinted out of camp without another word, a flick of his tail ordering Rainpaw to get to work. Thunderpaw watched, wide-eyed, as his brother ran into his den, ducking back out a moment later with some herbs and taking them to Shadepaw.

Emberstar rested his tail over the tom's shoulders gently. "Calm down, Shadepaw," he instructed. "What happened?"

"There was a dog on the border! We tried to chase it off but it caught Rubyclaw!"

Thunderpaw turned to Robinpaw. His brother's face had grown dark with horror. He was trembling, all excitement from their plan washed away with the news. Thunderpaw pressed himself closer to him.

"I'll go help," said Lilypool with a shaky voice, slipping out of camp before anyone could stop her. Leafstorm followed at her heels, his gaze unreadable. Thunderpaw could only watch as his mother ran to help her littermate, and even Stormcloud stood near the fresh-kill pile, stunned.

Perhaps the curse was real. Thunderpaw realized grimly that Rubyclaw likely wouldn't survive, and, if she did, she might end up with Lionbreath and Poppyleaf in the elder's den. One less warrior for the once-mighty IceClan, slowly melting away into nothing over the cliffs they called home.


	6. Moving On

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I grand you your warrior name. Shadepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Shadeclaw, in honour of your mother. StarClan honours your strength and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of IceClan."

"Shadeclaw! Shadeclaw! Shadeclaw!"

Although Stormcloud added his voice to the cheers for the new warrior, he felt a hollow aching in his chest. It had only been a few days since Rubyclaw had been killed when a dogthrew her against a tree and broke her spine. She had been just short of seeingher only son receive his warrior name. Spottedwhisker assured them all her death had been swift, but this did nothing to ease the pain of her passing.

IceClan was one less warrior, now. One less cat to hunt and guard their borders - one less to race into battle with. Stormcloud passed a dazed glance over his few remaining Clanmates. Once, when he had been much younger, their Clan had been big and strong.

He struggled with the thought that he would probably one day have to take charge of these cats and try to bring them back from the brink of extinction. As it was, they barely had enough cats for patrols, not to mention the lack of kits in the nursery.

Stormcloud lifted his head to the night sky and said a silent prayer to StarClan. He didn't believe in the curse, but he could no longer find the strength to believe that IceClan would be okay on its own.

He glanced over at his three sons, sitting side by side. Thunderpaw and Rainpaw were nearly identical, the only difference between them being the size of their builds and Thunderpaw's twisted leg, while Robinpaw took more after their mother with his sleek frame and brown fur. His head was bowed in grief. Stormcloud felt a pang of sympathy for him. He had felt the same way when his own mentor had died. He could only hope the young tom would soon recover his usual bright spirits.

He dipped his head as Emberstar dismissed them, padding up to join the three apprentices. Gently, he rested his tail over Robinpaw's shoulders. "Why don't you two come on a border patrol with me?" he asked, glancing apologetically at Rainpaw. He didn't think Spottedwhisker would appreciate him dragging the medicine cat apprentice along without permission.

Rainpaw shrugged and turned over his shoulder to look at Spottedwhisker. The spotted tabby tom was already waiting by his den, his long tail flicking impatiently. Without a word, Rainpaw hurried to his mentor's side. Stormcloud felt a rush of pride for his son, already showing such promise as a future medicine cat.

Thunderpaw nodded at Stormcloud's suggestion, but then paused to look at Robinpaw expectantly. After a moment, the brown and orange tom let out a sigh and looked up, muttering, "Sure."

"I'm sure Rubyclaw wouldn't want you wasting your apprentice daysgrieving," Stormcloud pointed out, hoping he wasn't being insensitive. As much as he was grieving, he knew Robinpaw must have it worse. "We wantto make sure all she taught you doesn't go to waste."

"Maybe we'll get to fight off some trespassers," added Thunderpaw,getting to his paws with gleaming eyes. Robinpaw glanced towards him, some ofthe light returning to his gaze. He gave a slightly more energetic nod and roseto his paws, to Stormcloud's relief.

He called out to Nightclaw and led the patrol out of camp, bushing out his fur against the cold wind that met them on the other side. The foothills carved the wind into sharp gusts, even in green-leaf. Now that the sun had set, their territory would become almost as chilly as leaf-fall.

Stormcloud took the safer route down, not wanting to put Robinpaw through too much. He hated to admit that he was going easy on him, but he also didn't want the apprentice to push himself too far when his mind was still clouded by grief. Thunderpaw stuck close, their pelts almost brushing as they followed, Nightclaw taking up the rear.

The black she-cat ran to catch up to him as they reached the bottom of the cliffs. "Which side are we patrolling?" she asked, shaking out her fur against the cold.

"The valley side," he replied. "This morning's hunting patrol reported a bunch of ForestClan scents near there."

Nightclaw's whiskers twitched with suspicion. "Maybe they were just making a trip to the abandoned Twoleg nest?"

Stormcloud merely gave a shrug as they padded to a halt to wait for the two apprentices. "Maybe. But Lilypool said there were way more scents than a typical herb patrol. Besides, it's greenleaf. What would they need catmint for?" Nightclaw nodded slowly and gave her shoulder a few quick licks.

The border was quiet, with no signs of cats either on the valley or the ForestClan side. Stormcloud looked towards the Twoleg nest, but he couldn't even catch a glimpse of Petal, the loner who called the den her home.

He let Nightclaw remark the border while Thunderpaw and Robinpaw tasted the air for scents. Stormcloud flicked his tail towards them. "What do you smell?"

"Lots of ForestClan," Thunderpaw replied instantly, nose buried in the grass.

"Mouse," added Robinpaw, ears perking up.

Stormcloud nodded, satisfied. "Let's focus on the ForestClan scents for now. Can you tell how recent it is?"

Both toms opened their jaws to better catch the rival Clan's scent. "A few days old?" suggested Thunderpaw.

"At least two," Robinpaw agreed, following the scent his brother had caught. "But it was a big patrol."

Stormcloud tasted the air, wincing as he caught the musky scent of ForestClan. They were right – there had been a lot of them, but it had been several days. "Very good," he praised. "It doesn't look like they crossed our border, though." He glanced over his shoulder at Nightclaw, who was shaking her head as she returned to them.

"The scent leads into the valley."

"Maybe they were collecting catmint," Thunderpaw suggested. "Rainpaw told us about that. He says there's a pretty loner who lives there and helps them take care of the catmint." His voice had a twinge to excitement to it as he relayed the information learned from his brother.

Nightclaw nodded, obviously stifling a yawn. "Her name is Petal. She's friendly enough." She motioned to further along the border, away from ForestClan territory. "Smells like some rogues were hanging around yesterday."

Stormcloud tilted his head. The valley was huge and sheltered many loners, but they rarely dared to come close to Clan territory. Usually they kept their distance, unless they were looking for a fight. "How many?"

"Only two. I think they left before dawn." Stormcloud's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. What were rogues doing by their border?

"Odd," he drawled. Rogues were never a good sign. "I'll convince Emberstar to up the patrols around here when we get back. Come on, we'd better report in."

With a flick of his tail, the patrol turned around and began climbing back into the foothills.

Emberstar tilted his head thoughtfully. "But they didn't cross?" Stormcloud shook his head.

Much of the camp had been asleep when they returned, Shadeclaw already sitting his silent vigil by the entrance. Stormcloud had gone straight up to Emberstar's den and begun his report, but the old black tom seemed more confused than concerned.

"Maybe they were checking if the territory was claimed," Icewhisker suggested from beside her mate. Her white fur looked grey in the darkness of the cave, but her deep blue eyes shone as though the sun itself were behind Stormcloud.

She turned to Emberstar, and Stormcloud followed her gaze to their leader. He seemed to be deep in thought. "I wonder..." he muttered, his voice hardly a breath. He blinked and looked back up as though he had said nothing at all. "You can up the patrols, as you requested, but try to find out what they want."

Stormcloud blinked in surprise. "Excuse me? Shouldn't we just be chasing them away?"

"There might be more than two of them," Emberstar explained. His tail flicked in warning. "And it might have been more than just a pair looking for food. If they come back, I'd like to know why."

Icewhisker nodded in understanding. "We don't know how the drought has affected the valley."

Stormcloud wanted to agree, but something held him back. Was Emberstar suggesting they _help_ the rogues, if that's what they were there for? The look he and Icewhisker exchanged revealed nothing except that there was something more to this than what Stormcloud believed. He frowned and dipped his head, quickly backing out of the den.

As he had said, Stormcloud increased the patrols along the valley border, but as each patrol returned with a report, they explained that the rogue scents were growing staler as the day went on. They hadn't been back. Stormcloud wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

Finally, evening had rolled around, and now Stormcloud padded beside Lilypool along the shore of the lake, glancing at it in awe as it shimmered. The full moon shone brightly overhead, not a cloud in sight. It illuminated the lake like a big star to light their way. He sometimes wished their territory was closer to the lake, so he could take in its beauty more often. Even from the taller cliffs in IceClan territory, the lake could be difficult to see.

Emberstar was in the lead, Spottedwhisker glued to the old black tom's side as though his life depended on it. Stormcloud twitched one ear towards them, but they seemed to be walking in silence. Spottedwhisker had been making more and more frequent trips to check up on the leader lately, and though he had said nothing about it, it made Stormcloud uneasy. He knew Emberstar was getting old, and he didn't like to think about what that meant for the Clan, or for himself.

His thoughts drifted back to the present as he heard Snowcloud snapping at Thunderpaw and Robinpaw for running ahead. They stopped in their tracks, skidding slightly along the sandy shore, shrinking down as the senior warrior began to scold them. Stormcloud could hardly suppress an amused purr.

Ahead, he could see ForestClan starting to cross the fallen tree that formed a bridge to the island. Bloodstar was at the head of the party, standing tall, Tricklewater and Goldenwhisker at her heels. Stormcloud started to raise his tail in greeting to the calico she-cat, but she ducked through the entrance before she could see him.

They had been close, once. Well, as close as two apprentices from other Clans could be, really. Stormcloud didn't think either of them had ever considered the other a 'friend', but he had always held a respect for Bloodstar as a warrior. He was almost proud of how she was coming into her own as the leader of her Clan.

IceClan arrived at the log just as their neighbouring Clan finished crossing, and followed them across the bridge into the clearing. Stormcloud quickened his pace to keep up with Emberstar and Spottedwhisker near the front, motioning with his tail for his sons to stay a little farther back and giving a quick nod of apology to his mate.

ShadowClan and RiverClan had already arrived, their leaders sitting next to one another on the branches of the great tree. ForestClan began to disperse as they arrived, and with a flick of their leader's tail, IceClan began to do the same. Stormcloud headed straight to the far end of the clearing.

He dipped his head to Mistyfoot and Rowanclaw as he padded up to the roots of the tree. "Good to see you," he greeted politely.

"And you," Mistyfoot replied, though Rowanclaw merely grunted. "How are things in IceClan?"

"Well enough," Stormcloud answered, although he didn't believe it himself. He was already struggling to keep what had happened to Rubyclaw quiet, but he knew Emberstar would mention it in his report.

"Well, hello there!"

He turned, pleased to see Goldenwhisker padding up towards them. His golden pelt shone in the moonlight, and his amber eyes reflected pleasant cheerfulness that contrasted the sour expression Rowanclaw was sporting. "Goldenwhisker," Stormcloud meowed, tail curling happily. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How are your sons doing?"

Stormcloud's chest bubbled with pride at the question."They're doing very well," he explained, head lifted. "Thunderpaw caught a vole along one of the thin cliffs the other day. Even a warrior would have thought twice to try that!"

Even Rowanclaw's ears twisted in surprise at the remark. Mistyfoot dipped her head. "He wasn't hurt, I hope?"

Stormcloud shook his head. "Oh, no, he's fine. The elders greatly appreciated that catch."

He sat speaking to the other deputies for a while, until finally all six Clans had gathered and the leaders called the Gathering to a start. Stormcloud nestled himself beside Goldenwhisker and Ashfoot, staring out into the mass of cats in the clearing. He still felt nervous to sit on the roots of the great tree. He could barely imagine what it felt like to be one of the leaders, standing above the Clans on the tree's sturdy branches.

He listened patiently as ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan gave their reports. There didn't seem to be anything of note, other than cats receiving their warrior names. He stole a glance at Shadeclaw, sitting beside his father in the crowd. The black and white tom looked nervous, but was obviously trying to sit still.

"Prey is running well in our territory," Bloodstar announced proudly. Her voice was strong and clear as it rang across the island. "And two new kits have been born to Rosepelt."

Although congratulations spread around the clearing, the ForestClan cats didn't appear to be very excited. Stormcloud stole a look at Goldenwhisker, but his expression gave nothing away. The smoky gray tom turned back to the gathered cats, trying to hear what the ForestClan warriors were saying. Unfortunately, he caught nothing other than the odd nervous glance among them.

Her announcement sat uncomfortably in his mind as Blackstar gave his uneventful report. Why wouldn't ForestClan be excited about kits? He knew his own Clan would be ecstatic – no one had had kits in moons. He wondered if something had happened during the kitting.

Silence fell as Emberstar raised his tail, crouched on the highest branch as though scared he might fall if he were to stand. "Prey has been plentiful in IceClan," he began, his voice deep and booming. He was such a quiet cat at camp that Stormcloud often forgot how noble and commanding the black and orange tom could be. He had realized over time that while Emberstar was quite friendly to his own Clanmates, particularly the younger members, he easily demanded respect with just a small shift in tone. It often left Stormcloud awestruck just to hear the old leader speak at a gathering.

"Sadly," Emberstar continued, "Rubyclaw was killed by a dog near Twolegplace. She rests with StarClan, now."

Shocked and sorrowful gasps spread throughout the clearing. Rubyclaw had been well-liked even outside IceClan, apparently. Stormcloud spotted a WindClan warrior reassuringly touch Leafstorm on the shoulder as the black tom lowered his head in grief.

"What happened to the dog?" asked Tawnypelt from somewherein the crowd.

"A patrol sent it packing with its tail between its legs," Emberstar replied calmly, though his voice had an edge of pride to it. "It ran back into Twolegplace, and we've seen no sign of it since. I do not think it will return any time soon. However," he added, more gravely, "though I hope you shouldn't, if anyone should spot it, I implore you not to take it on alone." He lifted his head, ignoring the whispers that echoed uncomfortably between warriors. "We also have good news. Shadepaw has earned his warrior name of Shadeclaw."

The clearing erupted into cheers as though no bad news had been delivered in the first place. Stormcloud joined in, tail curled in happiness. Shadeclaw lifted his head, blue eyes shining gleefully. Stormcloud couldn't help but wonder if this was the first time the tom had been truly happy since his mother had passed.

Still, a twinge of worry laced the edge of his thoughts. They'd gained a warrior, but they'd lost one, first. What would happen if a war broke out between IceClan and ForestClan? They would have been wiped out in a heartbeat. It was hard to imagine now, with the forest-dwelling warriors giving passing congratulations to Shadeclaw as they passed, trading friendly words with other Clans, but the possibility was always there.

He suddenly remembered the rogue scents near the valley border. What if Emberstar had wanted to know why they were there because they might be willing to join the Clan? He wouldn't have put it past Emberstar to suggest it - Thornpelt's mother had been a rogue, after all.

Stormcloud followed his Clan back across the fallen tree, lost in thought.


	7. Risk and Reward

"Robinpaw said ForestClan wasn't excited to have new kits. Why is that?"

Stormcloud could practically hear Windfang roll his eyes in frustration. Since Thunderpaw, Rainpaw, and Robinpaw had returned and told Tigerpaw and Violetpaw about the Gathering, the two younger apprentices had been asking constant questions, desperate to make up for what they had missed.

"I don't know," Windfang growled to his apprentice.

"They probably think they have too many mouths to feed," Tigerpaw continued thoughtfully, as though his mentor hadn't said anything. "They have _so_ many apprentices! I bet their den is way more crowded than ours. Shadeclaw said he heard another ForestClan she-cat was expecting, too. But we haven't had kits since me and Violetpaw!"

"For the love of StarClan, would you stop talking for one moment?" Windfang slapped his tail over the tabby apprentice's mouth before he could utter another word. "You're scaring off all of the prey from here to RiverClan." Tigerpaw tore his muzzle away, face twisted into an annoyed scowl.

"But we're not on a hunting patrol. Who cares?"

" _Hunting_ patrols care, mousebrain."

Stormcloud leapt off the boulder that marked the edge of the foothills, calling over his shoulder, "He has a point, though. They really weren't that excited to have new kits."

Windfang shrugged, jumping off after him and pausing to wait for Tigerpaw to scramble around. "Climb it," he ordered, "or you'll never learn to navigate the hills." He turned back to Stormcloud. "Maybe one of the kits didn't survive the kitting," he suggested. "We reacted the same way when Mistywind had her kits."

Stormcloud thought about it as he watched Tigerpaw struggle to the top of the boulder. "Maybe you're right. They seemed reluctant to talk about it, though."

"Who knows what those mossbrains are thinking." Windfang flicked his tail to Tigerpaw as he landed. "If they didn't lose a kit, it might have something to do with why there were so many of them near the valley border." He grunted. "Not like they'd tell us, though."

Stormcloud shrugged. "Well, as long as it doesn't affect us, it doesn't matter. Come on, I want to get to the valley before the sun fully rises."

The rogue scents had grown stale over the last few days since Nightclaw had originally scented them, but that morning it had picked up again. It still only seemed to be one or two cats, butt hey were hanging around so close to the border that the warriors half expected to see them bolt over the scent line at any given moment. Apparently increasing patrols hadn't done enough to scare them off.

The foothills sloped down gently on this side, and from where he was standing, Stormcloud could see them fade into trees and then the fields of the valley. He opened his jaw to taste the air, surprised to notice the scent of the sun-drown place coming in from over the mountains. He glanced over his shoulder at his patrol. "We're downwind of the border," he announced.

Tigerpaw raced to meet him at the top of the ledge. "How can you tell? There's no wind at all today!" He flopped onto his side dramatically. "It's so hot even the air has dried up."

Windfang gave the tabby apprentice an aggressive snort as he caught up. "Let's make it a lesson, then," he snapped. "What do you smell?" Tigerpaw opened his jaws from where he lie on the ledge.

"Salt," he murmured. He wrinkled his nose so tight Stormcloud almost expected it to pop off his face.

Windfang wasn't pleased with the answer. He gave Tigerpaw a flick over the ears with his tail, staring at him until the young tom scrambled back onto his paws. "The salt comes from sun-drown place beyond the mountains," he explained. "If we can smell it, the wind is blowing away from the valley and towards us."

"Oh," Tigerpaw replied with a nod. "So if we come across some rogues, they won't know we're there?" Finally, Windfang blinked in approval.

"Now you're getting it."

Windfang crouched on the edge of the ledge, eyes narrowed as though waiting for something. His pale brown tail flicked back and forth rhythmically, stirring up dust as he watched. It felt like moons before he finally opened his jaws to speak. "There, halfway between ForestClan territory and Twolegplace."

Stormcloud leaned over the edge to try and see what his senior warrior was looking at. He blinked slowly at the sight of two cats, barely shy of their border. Unease made his pelt shiver. They definitely weren't hunting. They seemed to almost be looking for something as they paced back and forth along the border, trading places with one another every few heartbeats.

Tigerpaw nosed his way between them. "What are they doing?"

"I don't know," his mentor breathed. His tone was sour. Stormcloud straightened himself.

"We should try and meet them at the border. Maybe they don't know this is Clan territory."

Windfang narrowed his amber eyes. "And if they're looking for a fight?"

"Then we fight. There's only two of them."

Tigerpaw slid out his claws, scraping them along the stone of the cliff. "I could take them both at once!" Windfang slapped his tail over the apprentice's mouth.

"No you couldn't. Don't try to be a hero when it could cost you your life. Rogues aren't as merciful as we are. Fine, if they want a fight, they'll get one." He glanced at Stormcloud, waiting for a signal.

Stormcloud lifted his tail and threw himself off the ledge, landing neatly on the ground below. The instant his paws touched the stone, he leapt again, eyes focused on the well-hidden path used to reach the border. It was one of the more dangerous routes, but far more efficient than going around. If they wanted to scare off the rogues, they would have to meet them at the border before they turned back and hid in the valley. He paused briefly to make sure his Clanmates were following, then continued downhill.

He slowed himself to a stop as they reached the trees. Here the territory looked more like ForestClan than anything else, but there was little undergrowth, leaving the IceClan cats to stick to the shadows. He was glad no one in their patrol had a brightly coloured coat.

Stormcloud halted a few fox-lengths from the border. He could smell the rogues, their overwhelming stench nearly overpowering what was left of the border markings. Raising his tail for Windfang and Tigerpaw to follow cautiously, he crept closer, ears pricked for the intruders. He could hear them pacing and muttering to one another across the scent line, but it was too far to make out what they were saying.

"Tigerpaw, stay behind us," he ordered quietly. He shot the apprentice an angry look before he could voice his complaints. "Windfang, we'll burst through the bushes on my signal." Stormcloud crouched, feeling Windfang's pelt brush his own as he did the same. "Ready? Now!"

They jumped through the foliage with yowls of anger. Stormcloud felt a rush of satisfaction as he spotted the two rogues jump into the air, fur bushed out and eyes wide. He landed, claws outstretched, back arched and tail puffed out to twice its size. Beside him, Windfang and Tigerpaw arched their backs in challenge, hissing and spitting to try and scare the rogues off.

One of them was a small gray tabby, her ears flat against her head and eyes wide with terror. The other was clearly startled, but seemed less afraid than his companion. He puffed out his own fur, making him look even bigger than he already was. He was heavily built and muscular, his dark tabby stripes perfectly framing his shoulders. Stormcloud had to fight the instinct to be intimidated by him. _He's a rogue,_ he reminded himself. _I'm a warrior – I've had proper training._

"What are you doing on our territory?" spat Windfang, digging his claws into the earth. The she-cat let out a frightened squeak and backed away.

"We're not _on_ your territory," the tom replied shortly.

"You might as well be." Windfang laid his ears flat against his head in challenge.

Stormcloud glanced at the she-cat. She was looking between the three Clan cats, hazel eyes wide, but as her companion and Windfang squared each other up, her fear began to gradually fade and become replaced with something more along the lines of interest. Her eyes flicked to his. She blinked slowly. Stormcloud twitched one ear.

"We weren't stealing your prey," she said, finally. Her mew was soft and shaky, but had a tone of determination to it. "We were actually looking for help, and knew there were a lot of cats living here."

"Help?" Stormcloud repeated before Windfang could get a word in. "What kind of help?"

Snorting, the tom relaxed and let his fur lie flat. "We're from further up the valley." He pointed with his tail to the north side of the valley. At the edge of the trees along the border, Stormcloud could see as far as it stretched, up to the mountain at its end. He had known rogues lived in the valley, but he hadn't expected any living closer to the mountains. "Prey has become scarce up there, and we can hardly feed ourselves. We were hoping for shelter in a more prey-rich environment."

Stormcloud eyed him cautiously. Neither of them looked starved, but they certainly didn't look as well-fed as himself. But the drought had taken a toll on IceClan territory, too. These cats couldn't expect to have food placed at their paws just on their word.

Windfang seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Prey isn't running well here, either, rockbrains. You think this drought is only in the valley? It's affecting the whole lake! You can't expect us to just take you in and feed you!"

The she-cat's tail drooped. "But I'm expecting kits! If we can hardly feed ourselves in greenleaf, how are we supposed to feed our kits in leaf-bare?"

Stormcloud blinked in surprise. She was expecting kits? His mind wandered back to the empty nursery at home, gathering dust after over a moon of no use. He imagined these rogues in their camp, kits running around, becoming apprentices, then warriors.

He felt a tail slap over his eyes and quickly swatted it away. Windfang had noticed his distraction. Stormcloud's fur grew hot with embarrassment. He was the deputy, he wasn't supposed to be daydreaming in the middle of something like this.

"We can't just take strangers to our camp," the senior warrior growled, "even if they are expecting kits." Stormcloud frowned.

"I think it'll be fun!" Tigerpaw piped in. He was silenced with an icy glare from his mentor.

"We need warriors, not kits to feed when prey is scarce."

Part of Stormcloud wanted to agree with Windfang, but his thoughts kept drifting back to that empty nursery at home, and how ForestClan had so many kits they probably had to expand their own nursery.

"They'll be apprentices by leaf-bare," he pointed out cautiously, trying to gauge Windfang's reaction. "That's the best time to learn."

"That's the _worst_ time to learn!" Stormcloud flinched. Windfang rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated growl. "You and your training experiments! Don't you remember how Shadeclaw almost died his first day out of camp?"

"And now he's one of the best at navigating the cliffs."

"We've gone longer without kits, Stormcloud. This shouldn't even be a discussion. They're _rogues._ "

Stormcloud dug his claws into the soft earth and narrowed his eyes. "So was Thornpelt, once. Would you call him disloyal?"

Although he half-agreed with the pale brown tom, Stormcloud had always had a problem with his Clanmates' views on rogues. Thornpelt had been born as one, but raised in IceClan. He was like a brother to Stormcloud and Spottedwhisker, now.

His words seemed to have struck a nerve. Windfang sat down and pointedly looked away. Last leaf-bare, Thornpelt had saved the older tom when he had nearly plummeted down the side of the cliff. Windfang clearly hadn't forgotten this. Stormcloud turned back to the two rogues. They were watching the exchange with wide eyes.

"Are you just looking for food, or a permanent home?"

They exchanged a silent look. For a moment, Stormcloud wasn't sure they would even answer his question. Then, the she-cat dipped her head. "A permanent home, if you'll have us." Grief glittered in her hazel eyes. "I want to raise my kits somewhere where they'll be safe and cared for."

"The rogues in the north have become violent," her mate added, his shoulders rigid as he looked at the two warriors. His gaze was unreadable. "They fight over food like rats."

"I've heard stories about your groups from others. They say you all live and work together, and don't fight over food. And that you raise kits as a group, and make sure they grow up safe."

Stormcloud had never empathized with a non-Clan cat more in his life. Even Petal he was cautious around, but this she-cat seemed to be able to read that he was a father. He couldn't imagine having to raise his kits away from IceClan, where they weren't sure if they would eat that day, and where other cats would try to steal all they had. He swallowed a lump in his throat. Windfang let out a loud sigh.

"We still fight with other Clans," he pointed out. "We aren't always all peaceful and loving. If you want a life like that, go be a kittypet."

The tom scrunched up his face in disgust. "I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those nests."

His mate lifted her head defiantly, and for the first time Stormcloud saw the fierceness in her eyes.

"We can hunt and fight as well as any cat," she declared. "We can contribute wherever you need us to."

Stormcloud glanced at Windfang expectantly. He simply let out a growl. "Fine. You're the deputy, it's your call."

He dipped his head. He was the deputy, but he still wanted Windfang's approval. He had been a warrior for many seasons, and although his temper was short, Stormcloud honoured his opinion when possible.

"We'll let you meet our leader," he decided, ignoring Tigerpaw's yowl of excitement beside him. "It will be his decision." Stormcloud narrowed his eyes, taking a moment to glare at the tom. He didn't flinch. "If you try anything, you'll regret it."

But the she-cat's expression softened. "Thank you."


	8. Shadow Rising

Bloodstar bowed her head in respect as the elders passed, the dawn light just beginning to creep over the horizon. 

The days had gone by quickly since Sootkit's sudden disappearance. The drought was finally beginning to ease, the lake refilling now that the lake Clans had sent a patrol to unblock the river. Riverpath had finally given in and allowed Bloodstar to give Flamelight his warrior name, but his ceremony had been a little disappointing, although not uneventful. Nightstorm had been coughing in Tricklewater's den the entire time, and Flamelight had interrupted his own ceremony to request his warrior name as a way to ask StarClan to send hope to the sick elder. It had been a sweet gesture, but Bloodstar was still a little miffed that her first warrior ceremony had been overshadowed. Beside, she had spent days coming up with 'Flamebreeze'.

In the end, it hadn't helped. The old tom had finally passed away in his sleep, and silence had fallen over the camp for the first time in moons.

Bloodstar rose to her paws with a stretch. A cool breeze shifted through the camp, as though reminding them that they had lost a well-respected member of their Clan. Above, a few individual leaves fluttered to the ground, their greenish-yellow hues speckling the air.

"You should get some rest."

She turned and blinked gratefully at her deputy, but shook her head. He twitched his long whiskers in response. "I don't think I'd be able to sleep," Bloodstar explained. She watched longingly as the last of the elders disappeared through the entrance tunnel. Her heart ached to go with them, but something told her she shouldn't. "Nightstorm was the last of my kin," she reminded him quietly. He had been her grandfather, and although they hadn't been close, Bloodstar had always appreciated his presence, as though a piece of her parents and littermates were still with her.

"What about Rosepelt?" Goldenwhisker asked. Bloodstar simply shook her head at the mention of her cousin.

"She has her own family to worry about. I'll go for a hunt." She added the last part quickly, not wanting to argue with him. Besides, he had patrols to organize.

Bloodstar quickly slipped out and let out a shudder against the cool air. It was almost like the dry heat of greenleaf had never occurred. She could scent the lavender from the vigil drifting off towards the valley, so Bloodstar turned the other way, towards the barely-visible horseplace in the distance.

This early in the morning, Bloodstar felt like she was the only cat in the world. She had no responsibilities, no worries other than what to eat that day. Birds sung a morning song somewhere in the trees, accompanied by the excited chirps of a squirrel nearby.

She opened her jaws to scent the air. Somewhere close was a sparrow. Her whiskers twitched in amusement as she followed the scent, remembering the time her brother had been attacked by one. The Clan still told the story, and Bloodstar had no doubt that it would be told time and time again for seasons to come. She was glad he could live on in this way, at least.

It wasn't long before she could see the bird. It was preening itself on a low-hanging branch downwind of her. Bloodstar sunk into a crouch, eyes focused up on it. She crept forward slowly, one paw at a time, careful to dodge the dried leaves that had already fallen onto the forest floor. Her tail hovered a whisker above the ground.

Before she could pounce, there was a sudden rustling from somewhere near the border. The sparrow let out a startled _twirp_ and flew off. Bloodstar snarled in frustration. She whipped her head around to face where she had heard the rustling. "What in StarClan's name..."

Irritated, she walked over to the far border, her eyes and ears open for any sign of another cat. Had it just been another bird, or a squirrel? But the sound had been so fast and _loud_. She lowered her head to scent the ground, but nothing caught her attention. Bloodstar's eyes narrowed.

She lowered herself to the ground, slipping with ease over the forest debris. _Something_ had to have made that noise, and she wasn't going to let it get away with scaring off her prey. Gingerly, she manoeuvred around the guilty bush, her fur barely scraping the edges of its branches. Still, no real scent caught her attention. It smelled a little stale, in fact, as though nothing had been there for a few days. Bloodstar stuck to its shadows, finally seeing something on the other side.

A cat? She couldn't tell clearly from there. She climbed the nearest tree, digging her long claws into its trunk for support, until she had reached a branch several tail-lengths above the ground. She crept along it and shuffled onto the next, then the next, until she was directly above the creature.

Her eyes widened, and her heart fluttered anxiously in her chest. She was greeted with long, thick gray fur, marked by dozens of scars and strong muscles underneath the tom's pelt. As he turned his head, Bloodstar could see dark green eyes scanning the clearing. His form almost seemed to flicker in and out of view, and when Bloodstar looked around for any other cat, he appeared to vanish entirely from the corner of her eye, but return once she pointed her gaze back towards him.

"I told you we could do it," said a voice other than what she had been expecting. It was a she-cat, only a dark outline visible.

"Not for long," growled the tom, his long tail lashing to one side. "I can feel the forest pulling us back."

"Patience," the she-cat soothed. "We are still learning."

Her blood ran cold. Bloodstar backed towards the trunk of the tree, claws gripping the branch. After a few more heartbeats of muffled conversation, both cats vanished, as though they had never been in there in the first place. Bloodstar had to blink away the fear and shock in her eyes.

She hadn't recognized the she-cat, but the tom she knew. It was a warrior named Rainclaw, and he had died seasons ago. Bloodstar had seen his corpse with her own eyes - there was no way he could have been in front of her. Had she been hallucinating? Was she dreaming? The wind brushing against her face told her otherwise. She shivered and gingerly lowered herself back to the ground.

No scents lingered. Bloodstar quickly turned tail and ran back to camp. Her chest was pounding painfully, making every breath an effort as she pushed herself through the forest towards home. If this wasn't a dream, something _very_ strange was going on. It had to have been a dream, right?

She slowed to a stop as she neared the entrance tunnel, chest heaving. What would she say? _Who_ would she say it to? Who would believe her? She had been leader for moons, but she still struggled to maintain the respect of her Clanmates. If she burst in and announced she had seen Rainclaw's ghost on their territory, they would think she had lost her mind. Bloodstar clenched her jaw tightly.

 _Tricklewater,_ she thought suddenly. She spoke to dead cats all the time - it was part of her duties as a medicine cat. She would believe her. Bloodstar mustered up what little certainty she still had and pushed her way back into camp, eyes set on the medicine cat den at the back of the clearing.

"Intruder!"

Bloodstar's fur immediately stood on end, and she looked around frantically. Were they being attacked on top of this? But before she could spot anything out of the ordinary, she saw a small ball of brown tabby fur bowl into her, and she collapsed onto the ground, too startled to move.

 _Thank StarClan,_ she thought, recognizing Branchkit. He and Featherkit yowled triumphantly above her.

"We got her!" squealed Featherkit. Bloodstar couldn't help but let out a purr.

"Oh no! I've been captured by two mighty warriors!"

She was glad to have been interrupted by the two kits, now. They had given her a moment to calm down. Even if she told Tricklewater, what could they do about ghosts on their territory?

Branchkit puffed out his chest. "Listen here, rogue! I, Branchstar, will always defeat you!"

Featherkit broke character almost instantly. She scrunched up her nose, clearly displeased. "I thought it was _my_ turn to be leader."

"No, it's my turn."

"But you were leader last time!"

Branchkit hopped off of Bloodstar to argue with his sister, so she sat up and began licking her fur flat again. She wasn't sure whether or not to step in. As much as she enjoyed playing with the kits, she never knew what to do when they started fighting.

Thankfully, she didn't have to decide. Only a heartbeat later, Thornfang stormed across the clearing, the look of displeasure spread across her face so intense that for a moment, even Bloodstar was terrified.

"What do you two think you're doing?" she snapped. Her light brown tail lashed from side to side, green eyes narrowed. "Bloodstar has been up all night - let her get some rest."

Bloodstar flicked one ear uncomfortably. "It's alright, Thornfang," she began, a little uncertain. "It's good that they're so lively."

Thornfang let out a snort. "Too lively, if you ask me. Come on, you two. Before you wake up the whole camp." Branchkit and Featherkit let out wails of disappointment, but, to Bloodstar's surprise, didn't argue. She watched them follow their mother back to the nursery, heads down. Bloodstar felt a little bad for them.

As soon as they were out of sight, Tricklewater poked her head out of her den with a wide yawn. Slowly, she pulled herself out into the clearing, blinking away the sleep in her eyes. Sunlight made her silver tabby pelt shimmer like the lake.

Bloodstar didn't dare wait any longer. She jogged across the clearing and motioned for Tricklewater to turn around and go back into her den. The medicine cat blinked in confusion, but once Bloodstar slipped through the brambles, she could hear Tricklewater following behind her, another yawn escaping her lungs.

"Good morning to you too," she murmured sleepily. "What's the matter?"

Bloodstar turned to face her, heart just about beating out of her chest. She would believe her, right? She had to - she spoke with dead cats all the time. That's what medicine cats _did_.

"You trust me, right?" she began. Uncertainty still traced itself along her tongue. Tricklewater tilted her head.

"Of course I do."

"Then if I tell you something crazy you'll believe me?"

"Depends on what it is, but probably."

Bloodstar took a deep breath. "I saw Rainclaw in the forest."

Silence overtook the den. For a moment, Tricklewater looked petrified, but the expression disappeared as quickly as it had come, and turned to concern. "Are you okay? Did you sleep at all?"

"That's not the point!" Bloodstar cried. "I _saw_ him! I heard him! He was in the forest with a she-cat!"

But Tricklewater didn't seem convinced. "Rainclaw has been dead for seasons," she reminded her softly. "And you were up all night sitting vigil for Nightstorm. Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

She was almost offended. Just because she hadn't slept yet, it didn't mean she was hallucinating. Besides, it had looked and sounded so real that Bloodstar couldn't help but believe that what she had seen had been real.

"I'm sure!" she retorted after a moment of contemplation. "He shuffled some bushes and scared away the sparrow I was hunting!"

"Even StarClan can't just appear like that," Tricklewater argued. "They can send us signs, but they can't just walk about the living. So why would Rainclaw be able to?"

Bloodstar hesitated. How should she know? She only knew what she had seen and heard. "I don't know, but he was _there!_ " She hesitated, suddenly hurt. "You don't believe me at all, do you?"

Tricklewater shifted uncomfortably. "I believe you think you saw Rainclaw, but I also believe you're exhausted. The dead don't just walk among us like that - ghosts aren't real."

"Why not? StarClan sends us signs and dreams, and gives leaders extra chances at life. So why _couldn't_ ghosts exist?"

"I believe there is a limit to even what StarClan can do," she explained. "That is why they speak to us in dreams, not while we're awake. They can't just walk into camp like they're alive."

Hurt shifted quickly to irritation. Bloodstar lashed her black and white tail across the floor of the den, leaves dancing away in its wake. "There's a first time for everything. Besides, we both know that foxheart couldn't have found his way to StarClan if someone lead him by the tail to it. Maybe it's not something StarClan can do, but something other dead cats can do."

Tricklewater still didn't seem convinced. Bloodstar let out a snarl and left the den, ignoring the brambles snagging at her fur. She should have kept this to herself.


	9. Outsiders

"I don't trust them."

"Then tell Emberstar that," Robinpaw growled. " _We_ can't do anything about it."

Thunderpaw looked out across the camp, his gaze focusing on the two rogues sitting at the base of Emberstar's den. Tigerpaw had said they were rogues from the north of the valley. Tense murmuring echoed through the crater, shifting gazes and uneasy steps marking the warriors' every move. Thunderpaw kept replaying the scene over and over again in his head: his father, deputy of IceClan, leading rogues into their camp and straight to Emberstar's den.

The apprentices sat outside their den, hushed tones and excited arguments ringing in Thunderpaw's ears. Violetpaw in particular seemed upset, as her fur had been standing on end all morning and she hadn't stopped for even a second to stop arguing with Tigerpaw about the rogues. For once, Thunderpaw half-agreed with her. They didn't know these rogues at all - what were they doing in their camp?

Emberstar had pulled aside Stormcloud, Icewhisker, and Snowcloud to discuss the fate of the trespassers. Although Thunderpaw had to assume they would make the best decision, unease pricked along his spine. It was strange having outsiders in camp. They rarely had visitors from other Clans, let alone rogues.

"What do you think, Thunderpaw?"

He turned to Rainpaw with a jolt. Had he been talking to him? Thunderpaw simply gave him an uneasy shrug. "I dunno. How long did they even want to stay?"

"Forever!" replied Tigerpaw. His dark amber eyes sparkled with excitement. "And Birch is expecting kits! I wonder if I'll be allowed to mentor one?"

Robinpaw's face twisted into disbelief. "You've only been an apprentice for two moons."

"I'll be a warrior by the time they're apprentices!"

"Emberstar hasn't decided anything yet," Rainpaw reminded them sternly. "He might send them back to the valley."

"But now they know where our camp is," Thunderpaw pointed out. "What if they wanted to get some friends and take over our territory?" The idea unsettled him. He didn't want to believe it, but it was a possibility.

The others fell silent as they considered it as well. A wave of regret swept over Thunderpaw's shoulders. He'd definitely dulled the mood. But only a moment later, Tigerpaw let out a dismissive snort. His sister gave him a swat over the ear.

"He's got a point, rockbrain," she hissed. He simply shrugged.

"Well, _I_ think they'll join, and we'll have two new warriors. And _I_ was the first one to meet them."

Robinpaw rolled his eyes. "You met them with Stormcloud and Windfang."

Thunderpaw stared out across the clearing at the strangers. The tom was huge, like a bigger version of Tigerpaw with their matching dark tabby pelts. His gaze was fixed on the entrance to the cave that led to Emberstar's den, tail dragging back and forth across the ground. Every few heartbeats, his ears would twitch as though he had heard something, but otherwise he was very still.

The she-cat looked far more friendly. She was a gray tabby, smaller and with a sleeker form, but with more energy. Her whiskers twitched at all the new scents around her. She turned her head every which way to absorb the camp, her hazel eyes wide with either piqued interest or excitement – Thunderpaw couldn't quite tell. He felt calmer looking at her, but he wasn't sure why.

"Don't you all have anything better to do than sit here and gossip?" asked Lilypool, passing them with a squirrel dangling from her jaws. Though her words stung, her tone was light. Beside Thunderpaw, Rainpaw dipped his head politely.

"Sorry, Lilypool," Thunderpaw muttered, though he had hardly joined the conversation. She let out a purr and continued past them. He turned to his denmates. "She's right, we shouldn't just sit here all day."

Tigerpaw let out a distressed wail. "But I want to see if Emberstar lets them join!"

"He won't, if he's smart," Violetpaw retorted. "A Clan is no place for rogues. They should just go back to the valley." Robinpaw moved his mouth with hers mockingly as she spoke. She stuck her tongue out in response.

Though he hated to side with Violetpaw and her snooty attitude, Thunderpaw had to agree with her. "We don't even know their names yet," he pointed out.

"They said their names were Falcon and Birch," Tigerpaw replied. He seemed excited to know something Thunderpaw didn't.

Rainpaw looked out past the clearing to stare at the rogues. "I take it the big one is Falcon?"

"Yep! He's even bigger up close."

"So are most things," his sister muttered. Her eyes narrowed as a shadow flicked across the entrance to Emberstar's den. "I think they're done."

The rest of the apprentices followed her gaze, suddenly alert. A moment later, the dark head of Emberstar emerged, followed by the two white she-cats and Stormcloud. The warriors all followed the path back down, taking seats at the base of the rock. Then, Emberstar's voice rang out loud and clear across the camp.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Flatrock for a Clan meeting!"

It was useless to call a meeting in such a way – there were no cats _not_ old enough to do so. Still, the familiar words called cats to the base of the Flatrock, whispers echoing between them. Thunderpaw spotted Nightclaw murmuring something into Thornpelt's ear, and Lionbreath clearly muttering something under his breath just loud enough for Poppyleaf and Windfang beside him to hear. Falcon and Birch jumped, but did not move from their position, instead adjusting themselves to see Emberstar from where they sat.

"We have come to a decision regarding the rogues, Falcon and Birch," he began. His loud and commanding voice silenced the last of the whispers among the warriors. "We will let them stay with us until the night before the full moon, and only then make a final decision. We can consider this a trial period – their actions for the next moon will determine their future. Do I have any objections?"

Violetpaw stood up, tail lashing. "We can't trust them!" she snapped. Thunderpaw watched her, eyes wide. Apprentices weren't supposed to question their leader. Still, there she stood, her sandy-coloured fur standing on end, glaring at Emberstar.

Nightclaw looked horrified. "Violetpaw!" she hissed. But Emberstar raised his tail for silence, his deep amber eyes thoughtful.

"No, let her speak. All cats have a say."

"We've known them for less than a day," she continued. "We can't just take them in, even if it is a 'trial period'! They're _rogues_!"

Emberstar dipped his head. "You're right, they are rogues. And we haven't known them long. However, how could we ever be expected to trust them if we don't give them a chance?" This time, Violetpaw didn't argue. "We are allowing them to prove that they wish to join us, for good. If they decide that Clan life is not for them, or we deem them a danger to us or other Clans, or they refuse to respect the warrior code, then we will chase them out as we would any other intruder. Any other objections?"

No one spoke. Emberstar gave a swift nod. "Stormcloud, show them around the camp. Then I want you and Thornpelt to take your apprentices and give them a tour of the territory and teach them the warrior code. Dismissed."

As the Clan began to disperse, Thunderpaw glanced between those that had been involved in the decision. Icewhisker still looked uncertain, and Snowcloud had a stoic expression that betrayed nothing. Stormcloud had hidden whatever he was thinking behind a bounce in his step as he took the two rogues to the side to start showing them the camp. Thunderpaw suppressed a groan. Of course the senior warriors wouldn't betray their thoughts in the open. Finally, he glanced at Violetpaw. Fury burned in her lavender eyes, but she said nothing, and turned to duck into their den without so much as a glance at anyone else.

Thunderpaw felt a shiver run down his spine. This decision could very well tear the Clan apart, if it went poorly, in the end. He followed his father with his gaze, the three cats stopping at each den so Stormcloud could explain what it was for.

Robinpaw yawned next to him. "That was less eventful than I thought it would be." Thunderpaw turned to him, eyes wide.

"You _wanted_ a fight?"

"Well, no, but I didn't think the conversation would be over that fast."

"A Clan leader's word is law," Rainpaw reminded them stoically. "Emberstar is reasonable, but we still don't really get a say. I don't think anything could have happened even if you'd made a scene. Besides, Violetpaw had that covered."

Robinpaw's eyes lit up as though Rainpaw's words had been a challenge. "What if I made a scene _now_?"

"Please don't," groaned Thunderpaw.

"Rainpaw!"

Three heads turned at the sound of Spottedwhisker's irritated mew. Though Robinpaw and Thunderpaw shrunk down slightly, Rainpaw merely flicked one ear and called back, "Coming, Spottedwhisker!" He gave a quick nod to his littermates before running off to the cave that housed the medicine cat den.

Robinpaw scrunched up his face, causing Thunderpaw to let out a snort of amusement. "How does Rainpaw handle him so well?"

Thunderpaw gave him a friendly nudge. "He's used to handling you." Robinpaw batted at his ear in response.

For a while, they watched their father lead the two strangers around camp, making jokes about how poor their hunting must be. Thunderpaw simply wanted to alleviate the tension that still edged the camp, but Robinpaw's distaste was clear. But eventually they grew bored of their commentary and began practicing a hunting move they had been taught the day before.

Thunderpaw crouched low, not unlike the ForestClan patrols he had seen across the border. They were constantly on the move in their maze of trees, dodging dead leaves and broken branches as though they were imaginary. It was a stark contrast to what Thunderpaw had been taught.

In IceClan, they learned to stay still, blend in with the cliffs, hide in the shadows and wait for an opening. But that didn't help in the small strip of trees at the edge of their territory, where prey could run up trees and vanish into dens in the blink of an eye. Stormcloud had taken to introducing a few ForestClan techniques into their training sessions as a result. How he knew the tricks in the first place was anyone's guess.

He held his breath, watching Robinpaw pretend to poke around at a pebble lying on the ground. If he would just turn his head a little further away, Thunderpaw could pounce on him and he would never know what hit him.

Finally, Robinpaw looked away, and Thunderpaw tensed to jump. But as he extended his back leg, a startled yelp broke his concentration, and Thunderpaw fell forward. He was only a whisker away from slamming his chin on the stone floor of the camp. Robinpaw let out a delighted squeal of victory.

"That's not fair," Thunderpaw began, irritated. He righted himself up again, but a third voice overtook him before he could speak.

"You let a cripple hunt and fight?"

Tension found its way to Thunderpaw's neck. He flinched, suddenly deathly still. Sheepishly, he turned his head, tucking his back leg behind him.

Tigerpaw was right - Falcon was _much_ bigger up close. His dark brown coat towered over Thunderpaw. His deep mew had definitely been what Thunderpaw had just heard. The tom tilted his head, ignoring Birch and Stormcloud's horrified expressions.

Before Stormcloud could rebuke him, Robinpaw leapt to his paws and stood in front of Thunderpaw, his brown and orange fur bushed out to make him look twice his size. "He's not a cripple!" He spat. Thunderpaw just watched, eyes wide. "He'll be a better warrior than _you_ could ever be, birdbrain!"

Stormcloud's expression darkened. "Robinpaw, that's enough."

"No! He insulted my brother!"

 _Well, there's the scene he wanted._ Thunderpaw rose to his paws slowly to stand beside Robinpaw, pressing himself against his brother. "I can speak for myself," Thunderpaw reminded him. He then turned to Falcon, trying his best not to be intimidated by the massive tom, even though he was well past that. "I can get around just fine, thank you very much," he snorted. Stormcloud sighed.

"Birch, Falcon, these are my sons, Robinpaw and Thunderpaw." He pointed to each of them in turn. "Where's your brother?"

"Here, Stormcloud," called Rainpaw from across the clearing. He bounded over, light on his paws. Thunderpaw couldn't help but note what a good hunter he would have made as a warrior.

He tilted his head. "I thought Spottedwhisker needed you."

Rainpaw looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Y-Yes, well..." He trailed off. Thunderpaw stole a glance at the den, but there was no sign of the grumpy medicine cat. Stormcloud didn't seem to notice, nor did Birch, but Falcon's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"That was a very impressive crouch," his mate chimed in lightly. Her meow was much softer than his, more like a bird chirping than a cat. "You three seem like more than warriors to me, already! How long have you been training?"

"Four moons," they replied at the same time. Thunderpaw felt his chestgrow a little lighter. He could get used to having Birch around, at least.

"Ah, but Rainpaw won't be a warrior when he's done," Stormcloud added. "He'll be a medicine cat."

Birch tilted her head. "What does a medicine cat do?"

"They look after the ailments and injuries of their Clanmates, and speak with our ancestors."

Falcon let out a disbelieving huff, but Birch's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

As Stormcloud struggled to explain the concept of StarClan and the Moonpool, Rainpaw nodded for Robinpaw and Thunderpaw to follow him. Thunderpaw quickly looked back at Falcon, but he had joined in the conversation, arguing every point Stormcloud tried to make. Thunderpaw followed Rainpaw without another moment's hesitation. He was beginning to dislike Falcon even more.

"What's up?" Robinpaw asked as the three of them ducked behind the apprentice's den, where a shallow dent formed just enough space for a cat to take shelter from rain. The three of them crowded into it.

Rainpaw looked around for a moment. Thunderpaw could see his short gray fur standing on end, his tail flicking back and forth without rest. "Spottedwhisker doesn't want to talk about Birch and Falcon," he replied. "At _all_. I think StarClan might have said something to him."

Thunderpaw felt the tension leave his shoulders. "That's it? What could we do about that?"

"We need to go to the Moonfall before Emberstar makes a final decision."

Robinpaw's eyes lit up, but Thunderpaw slapped his tail across the tom's mouth before he could speak. "Wouldn't Spottedwhisker say something if he thinks this is a bad idea?"

The anxiety in Rainpaw's expression shifted to discomfort. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's possible he might not, if StarClan told him not to." Thunderpaw felt a shiver run down his spine.

"He'd hurt the Clan on StarClan's word?"

"No!" Rainpaw cried. "No, never! But if he isn't sure, I think he'd take StarClan's guidance over his instinct. So I want to find out what StarClan thinks about the rogues."

Robinpaw puffed out his chest. "I'm in."

Thunderpaw's shoulders slumped. "So you want us to go to the Moonfall with you?"

The look in Rainpaw's eyes made Thunderpaw immediately regret asking. He didn't have to say a single word for Thunderpaw to relent. "Okay, okay. We'll go to the Moonfall. When do you want to go?"

"Two nights from now. So Spottedwhisker doesn't suspect anything."

Thunderpaw and Robinpaw exchanged a glance. Thunderpaw shrugged. "Okay, two nights from now."

Robinpaw leapt to his paws with a quiet yowl of excitement.


	10. Help From a Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post! Turns out I had much less time to write this weekend than I anticipated. Reminder that my works will now be updated every two weeks instead of every week in an attempt to keep myself sane!

A chill swept through the camp. Tricklewater poked her head out of her den and frowned as a cool breeze brushed itself up against her face. She returned to the warmth of her den and made her way to the back, finding comfort in the scent of herbs that greeted her. 

She dug through some of the more meagre piles, dried pieces of leaves sticking to her pads as she dabbed at them and pulled her paws away. Tansy stuck between her claws, and she had to shake them out to let the herb flutter to the floor again. Her whiskers twitched in frustration as she reached in back to find catmint, only to find a few stray leaves remaining.

Part of her wondered if she had given Nightstorm too _much_ catmint in her feeble attempts to save the old tom, but he had been sick so long that the doses blended together. She could only measure in terms of how much was left in her den. Regardless, it had taken a lot of the sweet-smelling herb. Tricklewater sighed and stepped out of the den against the cold, wishing the sun would poke its rays through the cool clouds of leaf-fall.

Anxiety flashed through her as a cough rang out. Was someone else sick? She glanced around at the mostly-empty camp, most warriors either out on a patrol or hiding from the wind in their dens. Soon, her gaze rested on Stoneriver. The gray warrior was picking through the fresh-kill pile, likely trying to find something for Dustydawn that wasn't ice cold. Tricklewater bushed out her fur against the wind and walked out to meet him.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, sniffing at his pelt. He jumped, as though he hadn't noticed her approach.

"Yes?" he replied, a little confused. Tricklewater ignored him and pressed her muzzle closer to his own, trying to see if there were any sign of fever. He was warm, but she wasn't sure if it was just his normal body heat or if it was warmer than it should be. "Just the usual leaf-fall cough," he continued, skirting away.

Tricklewater frowned and sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws in an attempt to keep them warm. "I hope I don't need to remind you that it was greencough that took Nightstorm's life," she warned. Stoneriver rolled his eyes.

"I don't have greencough. You worry too much." Tricklewater flicked her ears.

"I worry just enough. Who else has the leaf-fall cough?"

He hesitated. "I heard Ivystem coughing last night, but I don't think she's actually sick."

Slightly offended, Tricklewater let out a snort and rose to her paws. "I'll be the judge of that. Where is she?"

"On a border patrol with Crowfur, Frostshine, and Heatherpaw."

Tricklewater sighed and arched her back in a stretch. She supposed it was too much to hope the she-cat had stayed behind. The warriors never were very keen on missing patrols, even when they weren't feeling well. Tricklewater had tried for moons to get them to take better care of themselves, but as usual her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"I suppose it's too much to ask you to try not to exert yourself," she mewed. Stoneriver's flick of his tail was enough of an answer for her. "If you feel worse, come straight to me, then," she ordered. He opened his mouth to argue, but apparently changed his mind and gave a curt nod. He picked up a squirrel and fled to the nursery.

Knowing Stoneriver, Tricklewater had no doubt that the most he would do is keep away from his mate and kits if he got worse, and not actually stop any of his warrior duties. He at least had the sense to try not to spread it to others. Even as she watched the nursery entrance, he emerged, looking a little embarrassed, only a few heartbeats after he had gone in. At least her words had gotten him to stop and think.

She would have to get more catmint before it froze for the season. Tricklewater braced against the wind and nosed into the warrior's den, but there was no sign of Goldenwhisker. She twitched her whiskers in displeasure. She couldn't just go off without saying anything - what if someone needed her? She pulled out of the den and stared across the clearing at Bloodstar's den.

For a moment, she considered checking for the black and white she-cat. But as she did so, their argument played back in Tricklewater's head. She turned away. _I don't think she's in the mood to talk to me,_ she decided.

She understood Bloodstar's frustration, but Tricklewater couldn't see a reality in which Rainclaw really was walking the forest once more. That just wasn't possible. And yet, something had convinced Bloodstar that it was. Tricklewater shook her head. Ghosts weren't real. Bloodstar had seen something else, or dreamed it up. That was the only explanation.

Just as she was about to find another warrior to tell where she was going, Goldenwhisker's patrol returned. Each of them had only a single piece of prey, but the scent was so strong and warm that Tricklewater couldn't help but lick her lips. She ran to meet them at the fresh-kill pile.

"Good hunt?" she asked as she approached.

"Great!" cried Stonepaw. His voice was muffled by the skinny rabbit in his jaws.

Thunderclaw dropped his shrew with a grunt. "It was alright. The prey's starting to hide from the cold."

"Leafstream and Bramblethorn were having a lot more luck," Willowfur added, shaking dead leaves from her pelt. "We passed them near the IceClan border and they had already caught two pieces each.

Goldenwhisker nodded with a purr. "I don't think we'll have to send out any more hunting patrols today, with the way they were hunting." He dismissed his patrol with a quick wave of his tail, and as they dispersed he turned his thoughtful gaze back onto Tricklewater. "You didn't just come here to comment on our catches, did you?"

She suppressed a shudder at his words. "No, I didn't. I wanted to let you know I was heading out into the valley."

His ears perked up. "Alone?"

She hesitated. But anxiety still clawed at her chest, and she didn't want anyone asking about the argument between her and Bloodstar. She nodded slowly. "I just want to restock for leaf-bare."

Goldenwhisker was silent for a moment, but then shrugged. "Well, it's not like you need my permission," he finally said. Tricklewater felt her shoulders relax slightly. She hadn't even noticed the tension building up on them. His whiskers twitched mischievously. "You know the drill - stay safe and make it back to our territory by nightfall."

She let out a snort of laughter. "Yes, mother. I'll be back later." Bracing against the cold one more time, she slipped through the entrance tunnel and out into the forest.

It was eerily quiet. No birdsong greeted her outside the bramble walls of camp, and all she could hear was the sound of dying leaves as the wind pushed against them. Tricklewater upped her pace. The sooner she made it to the abandoned Twoleg nest, the sooner she could return to her nice, warm den.

She paused as she reached the border, marked by the end of the trees. The valley stretched far and wide, surrounded by mountains on almost all sides, only a few small batches of trees and bushes dotting the countryside. Her gaze lingered on a large patch closer to the IceClan side of the valley. As an apprentice, Featherstep had taken her there, as all mentors did, because it had once been where ForestClan and IceClan met in peace at the full moon. She wondered what it would be like to have a Gathering there, only two Clans to share news.

Tricklewater turned away and made her way to the Twoleg nest. It seemed to be made of wood and stone, and although time and weather had worn away at its walls and roof, the base of the structure still stood, marking the spot where Twolegs had once called home.

The catmint grew just inside the nest, to the left of the entrance in a small sunny patch. Tricklewater climbed over the fallen logs to reach it, taking in the sweet scent of the precious herb. Thankfully, it was sheltered from the wind, here, and so the leaves had yet to freeze up. She let out a sigh of relief and inched closer.

"Hello."

She nearly jumped out of her fur at the sound of a new voice. Tricklewater whipped around, eyes wide, but let her fur lay flat when she spotted the owner of the voice. "Petal!" she exclaimed. "You scared me out of my fur!"

Petal's cream tail wrapped around her paws as she balanced on one of the beams of the nest. "You don't normally come alone," she commented, ignoring Tricklewater's outburst. "You were so quiet I thought you were Spottedwhisker." Tricklewater tilted her head.

"He comes alone?"

Petal simply shrugged. "Sometimes. I think he just likes the quiet. So what are you doing all the way out here by yourself?"

Tricklewater hesitated. She didn't dislike nor distrust Petal, but how was she supposed to explain that she had come alone because Bloodstar was convinced she had seen a ghost, and Tricklewater didn't believe her, so now they were fighting? She looked away and pawed at a few of the catmint stems to see which needed to be picked first.

"Avoiding Bloodstar," she admitted after a long pause. "I just didn't want my Clanmates pestering me about it."

Petal let out a soft purr and leapt down to ground level. "I can understand that. That one apprentice - Harepaw, was it? - probably could have asked you a thousand questions before even leaving your territory."

Tricklewater felt her chest grow a little lighter. She nodded, a little relieved. "Exactly."

The sandy she-cat flicked her tail listlessly. "You Clan cats never understand why I live alone, but that's exactly it. Cats ask too many questions, even when it's not their business." Tricklewater blinked as her eyes met Petal's. Those light green eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief despite the sandy she-cat's composed demeanour.

Her breath caught in her throat. Perhaps she could use an outside perspective. Petal didn't know the Clans very well, and probably wouldn't spread rumours around like wildfire. She never shared IceClan news with her, after all. Tricklewater picked a single stalk of catmint and set it off to the side. She glanced quickly at Petal for permission, and the pretty she-cat nodded.

"Bloodstar thinks she-" Tricklewater cut herself off. Petal wouldn't believe Bloodstar had seen a ghost, either. "She thinks she's found something, but I don't agree, and now she's angry with me."

Petal blinked slowly. "You don't think what she's found is important?" Tricklewater shook her head and broke off another stalk of catmint.

"No, I don't think she's _found_ anything. I think she's seeing something in nothing, and she's angry that her medicine cat isn't backing her up."

For a few agonizing heartbeats, Petal was silent. She nipped a few stalks of catmint to add to Tricklewater's measly pile. Then, she said gently, "It sounds to me that she's angry her _friend_ isn't backing her up."

It was as though Petal had dug her claws directly into Tricklewater's chest. Of course. That made a lot more sense. Gut twisting, Tricklewater bowed her head.

"Maybe you're right," she agreed, a little hesitantly, "but that doesn't change that I don't see what she has. I'm her friend, but I'm also her medicine cat. I can't just agree with her because she's my leader."

Petal flicked one ear, whiskers twitching. "Your Clans never make sense to me. I thought the leader was the one who ruled the Clan."

Tricklewater blinked. "Well, yes and no. They make the big decisions and share news at Gatherings, but medicine cats follow a separate warrior code. We don't _have_ to agree with everything our leaders say." Petal's eyes narrowed.

"That's just confusing. Why not see if Bloodstar was telling the truth, then?"

"What?"

"Go take a look for yourself." Petal dumped her new pile of catmint at Tricklewater's paws. "See if she really did find something. Find your own truth on the matter." Tricklewater met her eyes, and was surprised to see wisdom behind her gaze. Perhaps Petal had more experience than she cared to share with the Clans she lived so close to. "If you don't _have_ to agree, find a reason not to. Surely she isn't just making this up."

Tricklewater gathered the catmint into a pile. She could dry about half of it for leaf-bare, and keep the rest fresh in case someone's cough grew worse. Doubt prickled along her spine. No, Bloodstar _wouldn't_ make this up. And that's what scared her the most.

"Thanks, Petal," she said quickly, giving the she-cat a dip of her head. "I'll consider that."

Petal gave her a friendly nod in return. "Any time. Say hello to your Clan for me."

Tricklewater scooped up the catmint in her jaws and climbed back out into the valley, only giving Petal a quick flick of her tail to acknowledge her parting words. She would have to see if she could find any trace of Rainclaw on their territory, then, but fear crawled its way up her spine. What if Bloodstar was right? Tricklewater shook her head and upped her pace back towards the forest.

She couldn't be. Ghosts weren't real, and Tricklewater had seen her father's corpse with her own eyes.


	11. Moonhigh Travels

"All clear?"

Thunderpaw stuck his head out of the den, tail quivering with a mix of excitement and anxiety. Nightclaw sat at the entrance to camp, her back turned to them. Behind him, Thunderpaw could hear Tigerpaw snoring. He nodded and slipped out into the dusk night.

His littermates followed him across the empty clearing and to the dirt-place tunnel, their steps fast and quiet. One by one, they ducked through the tunnel, emerging on the other side and creeping down the shallow ledge that marked the edge of camp. As they reached the edge of the plateau, the sun began to sink further below the horizon, until finally all that was left was the darkness of night.

Thunderpaw let out a sigh of relief. "We made it."

"Not that much farther left, right?" Robinpaw asked with a yawn. Thunderpaw had had to wake him up for this.

But Rainpaw simply blinked. "The Moonfall is in the valley." Robinpaw groaned. Thunderpaw gave his back leg a quick stretch.

"We can make that before moonhigh," he pointed out, turning his head to stare out across the foothills. To the north, the rocky cliffs kept going, but towards the sun-drown place, they faded into the vast fields of the valley. Even as he said it, doubt pricked at his chest. " _Where_ in the valley is it, exactly?"

Rainpaw hesitated. Thunderpaw's heart sank. "I'm not completely sure. I've never actually seen it." Robinpaw let out another loud groan.

"How are we supposed to find it, then?" he asked, tail flicking back and forth.

Thunderpaw glanced out towards the valley again. "It's the Moonfall, right?" Rainpaw nodded. "So it must be some kind of waterfall. Are there any waterfalls in the valley?"

Robinpaw's ears perked up. "If there is, they would near a pond or stream. Isn't there one that connects to the river from the lake?" Rainpaw's eyes shone with excitement.

"Yes! And it comes from the mountains! That must be it!" He turned and began making his way down the cliffs below the plateau. "Come on!"

Startled, Thunderpaw followed him, Robinpaw on his heels. They leapt from cliff to cliff, careful to avoid any that a senior warrior had marked as unsafe. The last of the sunlight dipped below the mountains, casting a deep shadow over the valley. As Thunderpaw glanced up to check how much time they had left, he could see Silverpelt shining high above, as though lighting the way.

As soon as they reached the grassy field that marked the edge of IceClan territory and the start of the plateau, Rainpaw bolted over the border, tail streaming behind him. His brothers followed a little more slowly, and a sudden anxiety began clawing its way up Thunderpaw's chest. Even Rainpaw, a medicine cat, wasn't supposed to go off on his own. If they were caught, they'd be in a lot of trouble. Still, seeing the determination in his brother's gaze, Thunderpaw pushed aside his thoughts. Rainpaw was a medicine cat - albeit an apprentice - he knew what he was doing when it came to StarClan.

Robinpaw glanced around him as they made their way across the huge open field, eyes wide with wonder. Thunderpaw followed his gaze to the sky, the mountains, the north and south stretches of valley on either side of them. It wasn't until they had slowed to a stop about halfway across that any of them dared to speak.

"The valley is _huge_!" Robinpaw exclaimed. Thunderpaw nodded, panting to catch his breath. Rainpaw turned to face them, but cast a few hesitant glances over his shoulder.

"WindClan would have liked it here," he agreed. "More space to run than they could ever dream of. Sorry," he added, tail flicking, "am I going too fast?"

Thunderpaw shook his head and stretched. "No, the valley's just a lot bigger than it looks from our territory." Robinpaw nodded.

"It's bigger than the lake. Will we be able to make it back before sunrise?"

Thunderpaw considered it, turning his attention to the quarter-moon that hung in the sky. It was still rising, not quite moonhigh, but Thunderpaw knew they would need to wait for Rainpaw as he slept, and that would shave time off what they had. "Maybe?" Uncertainty made his voice quiver. "You have to go around the lake, but we can walk in a straight line through the valley." To his relief, Rainpaw seemed to agree, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"We should be fine. Shall we go?"

Thunderpaw and Robinpaw nodded, and once again the three apprentices began their trek across the valley. It was eerily quiet, no sound of wind whistling through the foothills or cats snoring in their nests. It was as though time had stood still. As they got farther away from their territory, Thunderpaw felt an uneasy shiver run down his spine. This area was so wide open that he half expected a hawk to swoop down and grab one of them.

Suddenly, Rainpaw stopped. Thunderpaw, then Robinpaw, slid to a halt, toppling into one another. Robinpaw lifted his head and rubbed his nose. "What was that for?"

Rainpaw lifted his head above the grass. "What's that?"

Thunderpaw followed his gaze. In the dark, it was hard to make out, but there was something a little north of them, pacing in a tight circle. He narrowed his eyes, but from this distance he couldn't quite tell what it was. "I don't know."

Robinpaw opened his jaws to smell the air. "Smells familiar but I can't tell what it is." He froze. Whatever it was had spotted them. It lifted its head, amber eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Then, it let out a single bark.

Rainpaw bristled. "A dog?" It blinked and let out a growl. Then, it began to move, and Thunderpaw could see bright orange fur glinting under the moonlight.

"Fox!" he shrieked as it hurtled towards them, long, fluffy tail trailing behind it. "Run!"

They sprinted towards the far mountains, the silence of night broken by the barks of the fox and the pounding of paws on the earth. They twisted their route towards the river in the distance, but the fox turned on its heel and snapped at Robinpaw's tail. The brown tom let out a startled yelp and picked up his pace, easily surpassing Thunderpaw.

His chest pounded with fear. Were they going to die before ever receiving their warrior names? Maybe the IceClan curse really was. Thunderpaw gasped for breath, every muscle in his body beginning to ache. His good leg burned as he placed his weight on it, a reminder that it was doing most of the work. Up ahead, Rainpaw glanced back, but terror quickly filled his gaze and he turned back, his smoky gray fur puffed out to at least twice its size. Thunderpaw jumped as he felt hot breath on his tail, and he yanked it out of the way just in time.

"We can't outrun it!" he gasped as he reached Robinpaw's side. "We'll be crowfood!"

An idea seemed to click into place in Robinpaw's head, He split off from the group, and Thunderpaw did the same, in the opposite direction. Surely Robinpaw's idea - whatever it was - was better than getting eaten. Rainpaw continued running forward.

The fox slowed its pace, glancing around at the now separated group. Thunderpaw dove into the tall grass, wincing as his claws met hard earth. He turned sharply, now behind it. He lifted his head above the grass and shouted, "Hey! Bird-brain! Over here!"

He immediately regretted revealing his spot. The fox whipped around, fur bristling. Now that he could see it better, Thunderpaw realized it was skinny, which could only mean it was hungry. He swallowed a lump in his throat.

As soon as it lunged for him, Robinpaw tackled it in a flurry of brown fur. Thunderpaw pushed aside his fear and sprinted to the fox's other side. He stood up on his hind leg and raked his claws down the fox's flank, satisfaction bubbling in his throat as warm blood welled up between his claws. Robinpaw had climbed up onto the fox's back, and had dug his grip into its shoulders. The fox yelped and tried to buck him off, but Robinpaw stood strong, and Thunderpaw took the opportunity to nip at its hind legs, using his forepaws to sweep one out from under it.

With a dull _thud_ , the fox collapsed onto its side. Robinpaw leapt off and swiped at its muzzle, hissing fiercely. Thunderpaw sunk his jaws into the creature's tail.

It let out a horrible screech and scrambled to its paws, yanking its fluffy tail out of Thunderpaw's grip. It took one look at the terrified apprentices and ran off, a limp in its step.

Thunderpaw collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Robinpaw flopped down beside him.

"Are you two hurt?" called Rainpaw from a little farther away. He looked tiny against the backdrop of the mountains. Thunderpaw shook his head, still catching his breath, as Rainpaw raced back to meet them.

"Somehow, no," he breathed. "Maybe this was a bad idea." Robinpaw nodded, his eyes still wide with fear.

Rainpaw's tail lowered. He was clearly disappointed. "But we're so close! We'll be safe at the Moonfall - StarClan wouldn't dare let another fox get close."

"But what about on the way back?" Robinpaw snapped. Rainpaw flinched back, clearly hurt. Robinpaw looked away. "Sorry."

"No," Rainpaw replied, his voice quieter than before. "It was my fault, anyway. If I hadn't stopped, it might not have seen us."

Thunderpaw blinked sympathetically at his brother. "It's okay - we chased it off. Good thinking, splitting up," he added to Robinpaw. His eyes lit up.

"Right? I figured it would have to stop and choose which of us to chase."

Thunderpaw turned back to Rainpaw, who was studying his paws. "We can still go to the Moonfall," he decided. Rainpaw looked up, eyes wide. "We've made it this far, after all."

"Really?" He hesitated. "Robinpaw?"

The brown and orange tom gave a shrug. "Thunderpaw's got a point. May as well see it through. Sorry for getting upset at you." Rainpaw ran up to nuzzle them.

"Thank you! Next time I see a fox, I won't stop, I promise."

Robinpaw's whiskers twitched mischievously. "I should hope not. That thing was _huge._ "

They hurried the rest of the way across the valley, careful not to stop for any other fox or dog or anything else. Rainpaw led the way, though Thunderpaw wasn't sure even he knew where to go. The moon climbed steadily higher in the sky as time went on.

Finally, they found themselves at a stream leading away from the mountains. Rainpaw dipped one paw in. "It's cold," he said.

Thunderpaw and Robinpaw both let out shudders. "Of course it is," Robinpaw snorted. "It's water and it's night." But Rainpaw shook his head.

"When water is this cold, it usually comes from somewhere really high up." His eyes sparkled under the moonlight. "Like a mountain."

Thunderpaw's eyes widened. "So if we follow this stream-"

"We'll find the Moonfall!" Robinpaw finished. He let out a cheerful yowl. "Almost there! Lead the way!"

The mood among them had become much happier in such a short amount of time, that for a moment Thunderpaw forgot all about the encounter with the fox. They ran alongside the bubbling stream towards the edge of the valley, their fur bushed out with excitement.

Thunderpaw wondered what the Moonfall looked like. The only one in the Clan that had ever actually seen it was Emberstar, and he had sworn his leadership ceremony to secrecy. He pictured a massive waterfall, roaring louder than a lion, spraying so much mist that the entire area was filled with fog.

But the stream did not lead them to anything like that. It disappeared into a patch of trees that bordered the mountains, only slightly uphill of the rest of the valley. Rainpaw disappeared into the bushes without a second thought, but Thunderpaw hesitated and stole a confused glance with his other littermate.

"This can't be it, can it?"

Robinpaw shrugged. He followed Rainpaw through. Thunderpaw let out a sigh and did the same.

The Moonfall wasn't massive or incredibly loud, or even really that spectacular. It was small, only a few tail-lengths high, and no louder than the stream they had followed to get there. Moon shone down on the pool that fed the stream, but no fog surrounded them, and there was only a faint glimmer of stars reflecting off the surface of the water.

He frowned. "I thought it would be... _bigger_."

"Me too," Robinpaw agreed with a quick tilt of his head. "Is this really the Moonfall?"

Rainpaw pawed at the water. "Spottedwhisker says the reason we make the long journey to the Moonpool every half-moon is that the Moonfall doesn't have as strong a connection with StarClan. It's closer, but when our medicine cats tried to commune with StarClan, they only ever got whispers and fragments of what they could have had they known about the Moonpool."

Thunderpaw flicked his tail irritably. "Then why didn't we go to the Moonpool?" Rainpaw laid himself down next to the water, staring at it with a strange intensity.

"It's too far. Besides, it's just me. Can you two wake me up in time to get back before sunrise?"

Robinpaw and Thunderpaw exchanged a silent glance and reluctantly agreed. They watched as their brother took a few laps of the icy water and closed his eyes. He was asleep in heartbeats. Robinpaw shuddered.

"Is that just a medicine cat thing? Falling asleep that fast?" Thunderpaw let out an amused snort.

"Must be. I wonder what StarClan will tell him about Birch and Falcon."

Robinpaw stole a glance at their sleeping sibling. "Hopefully whether or not they're safe," he replied, a twinge of irritation in his voice. "I don't get why they would tell Spottedwhisker if he wasn't going to say anything."

Thunderpaw nodded slowly. "Maybe they didn't tell him anything at all." Robinpaw just looked at him quizzically.

"They had to, though. Why else would he refuse to talk about them? _Everyone_ is talking about them!"

Thunderpaw considered it for a moment. "He's always thinking about work. Maybe he just doesn't want to get distracted."

"Maybe," Robinpaw admitted reluctantly. He let out a wide yawn.

They waited for what felt like moons, chatting idly about their training and whether or not Falcon and Birch would be good fits in the Clan. The moon began to lower itself back towards the horizon as they kept watch, stars twinkling as if a reminder that they weren't supposed to be out. They seemed to be saying "Watch out," with every blink. Thunderpaw eventually stopped staring at them.

Just as they were beginning to discuss when to wake up Rainpaw, the gray tom began to stir. Thunderpaw whipped around to face him. "I'm up," he said quietly.

"Did you learn anything?"

Rainpaw hesitated and stared at his paws. "No, not really. They must be safe, if StarClan didn't want to warn me."

Thunderpaw got the strange sense that Rainpaw was keeping something from them. He turned to Robinpaw and motioned for him to speak, but he looked just as bewildered as Thunderpaw felt.

"Well, what did they say?" Robinpaw asked.

Rainpaw shook his head and stood up in a surprising flash of movement. "Nothing important. Sorry, I guess this was kind of a waste of time."

Guilt pricked at Thunderpaw's chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but Robinpaw beat him to it.

"It wasn't a waste. We found the Moonfall! Even Spottedwhisker hasn't been here!" He jumped up excitedly, tail bristling. "We're the first in an entire generation to step paw here!"

Thunderpaw glanced back at Rainpaw, His mind seemed elsewhere, but he nodded carefully at Robinpaw's words. Thunderpaw got the impression he was trying really hard to see the positive in their adventure.

He walked up to brush pelts with his brother. "Come on," he said. "Let's get back before someone misses us." He puffed out his chest. "We fought off a fox _and_ found the Moonfall - today's been really productive!"

As they turned to leave, Thunderpaw stole one last glance at the Moonfall and its disappointing visage. For a moment, he thought he could see the glittery form of a cat, but as he blinked, the sight vanished. Thunderpaw turned his back on the small waterfall and led the charge back to camp.


	12. Rearranging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: This chapter contains illness and reference to contagious respiratory disease. The timing of this release is extremely unfortunate, but I had planned this well before COVID-19. Please feel free to skip this chapter if it at all makes you uncomfortable.

Bloodstar stepped out of her den with a yawn. That morning's drizzle had frozen and was only now beginning to thaw, leaving the ground cold and damp. Though the sun shone overhead, it was as though a cloud were covering just the camp, and most warriors were hiding in their dens.

She flicked an ear as Tricklewater emerged briefly from her den, only to have a brief word with Snowriver outside the elder's den before hissing with frustration and returning inside. After her journey to the valley alone she had briefly been more approachable, but as time went on and cats began to get sick during the cooler nights, Tricklewater had distanced herself again, pouring herself into her work. Bloodstar narrowed her eyes irritably and began rubbing moss out from behind her ears. If Tricklewater didn't want to believe her, or was too busy to, then she would have to deal with this on her own.

Hareleg, Heatherleaf, and Stoneriver pushed through the bramble tunnel, each carrying small pieces of prey. Bloodstar watched the patrol carefully, but they rushed into the warrior's den almost as soon as they had finished dropping off the prey, none of them so much as stopping to greet any of the few cats outside of their dens.

All three of them had gotten sick first, but Tricklewater had assured all of them their illnesses were just colds, and nothing so severe as whitecough or greencough. Bloodstar had been grateful to see Hareleg and Heatherleaf recover in time for their final assessment, though she could have done without another ceremony being interrupted by someone coughing. It didn't feel like a good sign, to her.

Crowfur's patrol returned only a moment later. Bloodstar rose to her paws to meet them. Crowfur spotted her and opened his jaws to speak, but instead he let out a loud cough. Bloodstar felt her heart sink through her chest.

She hated not being able to do anything for her sick Clanmates. Anxiety flashed through her fur as she cautiously approached the border patrol. Besides Crowfur's sudden coughing fit, Bloodstar could feel Ivystem's fever even from a tail-length away, and Dawnfrost clearly had a runny nose.

"Who let you three on patrol?" she asked, attempting to maintain her distance. She didn't need to add to Tricklewater's pile of things to do by getting sick herself.

Ivystem and Crowfur exchanged a guilty look. "We can't just stop patrolling because some cats are sick," the light brown she-cat pointed out. Bloodstar sighed.

"So let the healthy cats patrol." She flicked her tail towards the other side of camp. "You two," she ordered, looking at Ivystem and Crowfur, "go check in with Tricklewater. Dawnfrost, you can give the report."

Dawnfrost watched the two older warriors sulk across the clearing with a worried expression. "They were fine this morning," she said quickly. Bloodstar blinked sympathetically.

"None of you should have been on patrol without talking to Tricklewater first. Is there anything to report?" _StarClan, I hope not_.

The golden she-cat thought for a moment. "There were some new scents along the IceClan border, but they were on their side. I thought maybe they had gotten a new apprentice, but I suppose that's unlikely, isn't it?"

Bloodstar saw pity flash in her eyes. It was hard not to feel the same, when IceClan had had such poor luck for as long as either of them could remember. As far as she knew, they hadn't had kits since their youngest two apprentices had been born. Reluctantly, Bloodstar nodded her agreement. "Probably not. Well, if they didn't cross the border, I suppose it's not our problem."

Before Dawnfrost could reply, there was a distressed yowl from the nursery. Both she-cats turned sharply to face it. Bloodstar felt the fur along her spine begin to rise, but the only cat to emerge was an irritated-looking Tricklewater. Without a word, she leapt onto the Fallen Tree and called out, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Fallen Tree for a Clan meeting!"

Bloodstar froze. Dawnfrost turned, eyes wide. "Can she do that?"

She wasn't sure how to reply. "I don't know," she admitted.

Hesitantly, they made their way to the Fallen Tree, confused Clanmates emerging from their dens to do the same. A few senior warriors quickly began muttering to one another, tails uneasily flicking back and forth across the ground.

"What's this about?" asked Bramblethorn.

"Are you allowed to call a Clan meeting?" called Windheart.

Tricklewater ignored both of them. She sat down and wrapped her fluffy tail around her paws, looking out across the gathering of warriors. Bloodstar blinked in surprise at the authority in her tone as she spoke.

"We need to isolate anyone who's sick," she began. "I thought this was just a cold going around, but Stormkit and Whitekit have developed whitecough."

 _Oh_ , Bloodstar thought, dread filling her entire body. _That was Dustydawn who had cried out. She's worried about her kits._ Instantly, a chorus of murmurs echoed throughout the clearing. She had wanted some way to help, but this wasn't what she had expected.

"Where would they stay?" Windheart snapped. "We don't have an extra den."

Bloodstar blinked, an idea forming in her head. "Why don't we get the sick to stay in the warrior's den? It's the biggest, so we won't need to do a lot of extra work."

Windheart seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded, her shoulders relaxing. "But what about everyone who isn't sick?"

"They can take the apprentice's den and the nursery," Goldenwhisker suggested. "It will be a little crowded, but..."

Dapplesky lifted her head from where she had been in deep discussion with the other elders. "We can share our den, too."

Unease clawed its way up Bloodstar's chest. "What if the sickness spreads to you?" But Dapplesky just snorted.

"If the sick are in a different den, they won't be near us."

"It might be best to keep Dustydawn and her kits in the nursery," Tricklewater pointed out slowly, turning her muzzle away from the den. "But there isn't enough room in the apprentice's den and elder's den for all the healthy cats."

Stonepaw lifted his head. Uncertainty reflected in his gaze, but he held strong as he suggested, "So why not move the sick to the apprentice's den and nursery, instead? And all the healthy cats can stay in the warrior's den."

"I'm happy to open up my den, too," Bloodstar offered.

Tricklewater nodded. "That should work. Can I get some healthy cats to collect moss for fresh nests?"

Frostshine, Stonepaw, and Shadowstorm offered to collect moss, and with that, the gathering broke apart for cats to start moving dens. Tricklewater waved Bloodstar over to the nursery with her tail. She followed a little cautiously, their argument not quite forgotten. Although Bloodstar had yet to see any other evidence of Rainclaw on their territory, she hadn't forgotten Tricklewater's blatant disbelief. She was sure Tricklewater hadn't, either.

But if the bluish-gray she-cat was still angry, she didn't show it. As Bloodstar approached the den, Tricklewater pointed to it with her tail and asked, "Could you take Rosepelt and her kits into your den for now? It will be a little crowded, but I think they could do with some quiet, compared to what the warrior's den will be like."

Bloodstar blinked. "Of course I can. What about Thornpelt and her kits, though?"

"I'm sending them to the elder's den. Branchkit and Featherkit are pretty much ready to be apprenticed, aren't they?"

"I believe so." She tilted an ear as Thornfang ushered her kits out of the nursery, ignoring their complaints. Truthfully, Bloodstar had wanted to apprentice them days ago, but she had been having trouble picking mentors for them, as she did with most apprentices. She had unfortunately not inherited her father's talent for finding the perfect mentors for the young cats in the Clan.

Rosepelt stuck her reddish head out of the den, eyes wide. "Are Dustydawn's kits going to be okay?" she asked. She pulled herself out into the clearing as she waited for a response, keeping her tail wrapped around her two kits protectively as they followed close behind. Tricklewater didn't reply, but entered the nursery as soon as Rosepelt had left.

Bloodstar exchanged a worried glance with her, but neither said a word. She wasn't sure either of them truly believed Stormkit and Whitekit would make it through, not as young as they were.

Sunkit bounced ahead of his brother and mother without a care in the world, his golden fur bushed out in excitement. "Is it true we're going to sleep in your den?"

Bloodstar pushed aside her worry for a moment. "That's right," she purred. "It's a little small, but we'll make room."

"Why don't you two go collect the moss in Bloodstar's den so we can get ready for new nests?" suggested Rosepelt, nudging Blizzardkit forward. "Frostshine's patrol should be back soon with fresh moss."

The two kits let out squeaks of excitement and raced across the clearing, barely avoiding the warriors busy rearranging their own nests. Rosepelt watched them fondly for a moment. "They might end up making a bigger mess."

Bloostar snorted with amusement. "Probably. Maybe I should go keep an eye on-"

"Bloodstar!"

She turned at the sound of Tricklewater's voice from behind them. Bowing apologetically to Rosepelt, Bloodstar swallowed a lump in her throat and prepared herself for whatever news Tricklewater was going to deliver.

But the medicine cat didn't seem particularly upset, just anxious about her patients, as usual. Sometimes Tricklewater reminded Bloodstar more of the former IceClan medicine cat than her own mentor, with how protective and anxious she became when a Clanmate got sick. Bloodstar wondered if she had picked that up during her brief moon in IceClan as a kit.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. To her relief, Tricklewater shook her head.

"No, but I'm low on tansy. Could you get some for me? I have a patch growing next to that boulder near the RiverClan border."

Bloodstar tilted her head. "Can you remind me what tansy looks like?"

"It has round, yellow flowers. Grows in bunches. It smells sweet. You should know it when you see it."

"Oh, I remember it now." Featherstep had given her tansy once as an apprentice, when she had gotten a bad cough. "Sure, I can do that. How much do you want?"

"As much as you can carry. Actually," she paused, glancing around the clearing, "take, uh, Hareleg with you to help carry it." She called out to the yellow tom as he passed.

As soon as they had told him what was going on, Bloodstar led him out into the forest, somewhat relieved to be leaving the camp behind. She was just glad to have some way to help, even if it was just fetching herbs.

She found it difficult to be a leader when she couldn't physically keep her Clan safe. She could hunt, and patrol, and fight tooth and claw for her Clanmates, but she didn't know the first thing about healing. She had no choice but to trust Tricklewater to do that work for her, but it was only made harder by her lack of belief in Bloodstar's story about Rainclaw.

She jumped as she realized Hareleg was speaking to her. "Sorry," she said quickly, "what was that?"

Hareleg blinked sympathetically. "I was asking if that was the tansy." He pointed with his tail to a patch of yellow flowers surrounding a large boulder with a flat top.

Bloodstar relaxed. "Yes, that's it."

Nodding, Hareleg picked up his pace. Bloodstar followed, ears perked for any sign of danger, but the forest was quiet save for the cool breeze that reminded them that leaf-bare was on its way. She began nosing through the tansy, taking in its sweet scent with baited breath, half-expecting it to explode into pollen at her touch. Its flowers were so _poofy_.

"Hey," Hareleg called from the other side of the boulder, "what's that?"

Bloodstar dropped what she had collected and lifted her head. "What's what?" She curved around to his side, careful not to trample any of the flowers.

"That," he repeated. He thrust his muzzle towards a bramble bush a few tail-lengths away. "Is that fur?"

"Might be Tricklewater's."

Hareleg didn't seem convinced. He took a few paces towards it, his mouth open to scent the gray mass. "It doesn't smell like her. It doesn't smell like anyone I know, actually."

Bloodstar felt the fur along her spine begin to rise. She crept closer, now on high alert. "Is it RiverClan or IceClan?"

"I don't think so. Do you recognize it?"

She brought her nose close to it and sniffed, but all she caught was the scent of tansy still on her tongue and a noseful of fur. She brushed it off with one paw. Whoever it had come from, the scent was stale enough that it was clear it had been a few days. "I can't place it. That's odd." She stared at it for what felt like hours. "I wonder..."

She had seen Rainclaw physically in their territory, so what if he had managed to leave behind some of his fur? If he could show himself in the world of the living, perhaps he could physically affect the land around him, too. The colour of the fur even matched. But doubt prickled at her thoughts in the voice of Tricklewater.

 _He's long dead,_ she reminded herself. _But this certainly looks like his fur_. Bloodstar frowned. "I'll ask Tricklewater about it when we get back," she decided, hesitation lacing her voice. Hareleg shrugged and went back to work.

Bloodstar turned to do the same, but cast one last look at the bramble bush before she continued collecting tansy, worry clawing its way from her stomach to her throat.


	13. Good Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: This chapter contains illness and reference to contagious respiratory disease. The timing of this release is extremely unfortunate, but I had planned this well before COVID-19. Please feel free to skip this chapter if it at all makes you uncomfortable.

Tricklewater had come to the grim realization that this was the first crisis she had ever had to deal with by herself. She didn't think she liked it.

It felt like every day another cat got sick. Already she had forced Ivystem, Crowfur, and Pebblepaw into her den, and every waking moment not spent keeping an eye on them was spent in the nursery, forcing herself to drown out Dustydawn's wails of despair over the fate of her kits. She wished she had someone versed in herbs to help.

Outside of the dens they were using to isolate the sick warriors, the camp had been operating as normal. Well, mostly normal. It was still odd seeing Sunkit and Blizzardkit bounding out of the leader's den every morning. But patrols still ran, mentors still trained their apprentices. At a glance, it almost seemed as though sickness _wasn't_ spreading through the camp at an uncomfortable rate.

Tricklewater nodded to Leafstream and Dawnfrost as they headed out with their new apprentices. She was grateful Dawnfrost had recovered from her runny nose in just a few days - she had been wanting an apprentice for a long time, and had she still been sick, Tricklewater wasn't entirely sure Bloodstar would have even _let_ her mentor anyone. The two she-cats ducked out through the entrance tunnel, Branchpaw and Featherpaw already racing ahead of them.

The crisp air sent a shiver down her pelt. She had a feeling that any day now it would start to snow, and she would be left with whatever she had left of her catmint supply. Tricklewater let out a wide yawn.

Snowriver was the first elder out of the den. His thick gray and white fur matched the cloudy sky above. He gave Tricklewater a quick wave of his tail as they met eyes, and then made his way slowly across the clearing to meet her.

"Good morning," he greeted, surprisingly chipper considering the clear pain in his hips. Tricklewater blinked sympathetically.

"Good morning, Snowriver. How are your joints this morning?"

He shrugged. "Been better, been worse. The cold weather isn't great for them." Tricklewater nodded her agreement.

"Would you like something for them? I have lots of daisy leaves left over."

She had expected him to jump at the offer, so she was surprised when he shook his head. "You sure?" she insisted. "I have more than enough for leaf-bare."

Snowriver simply let out a loud purr. "Thank you but I'm alright. I actually wanted to ask if you needed any help."

"Well," Tricklewater began, a little hesitant, "I could, but I'm not sure what you could do. You've never had any training as a medicine cat."

For a heartbeat, Tricklewater thought he would reveal he had trained as a medicine cat apprentice when he was young, but Snowriver twitched his whiskers and replied, "No, but I'm a fast learner. I can do the simple stuff. Get herbs for you, clean nests, stuff like that."

She blinked gratefully. "That would actually be very helpful, thank you," she replied. Having a helper would ease some of the work off her shoulders. "But I don't want you in the sick dens without my permission. I can't have you getting sick, too." Snowriver dipped his head.

"What can I do first?"

"Collect some moss." She pointed with her tail to the stream that wrapped around her den. "Normally I'd have the apprentices do it, but they're all out training, and Pebblepaw is still sick."

"Sure thing," Snowriver said. With a quick flick of his long tail, he strode past her and to the stream, where he began pawing at the rocks to collect moss between his claws.

Tricklewater let out a sigh of relief. One less thing to do. She turned to duck back into her den, already prepared for a short nap, but before she could, there was a yelp from across the clearing. She whipped around sharply as Stoneriver burst out of the nursery, eyes wild. "Tricklewater!"

"Coming," she called, her rest forgotten. Brambles tugged at her thick fur as she crawled inside in the dark den. She paused briefly to let her vision adjust.

She nosed around for Dustydawn's kits. Thornfang had been in there while she recovered, but now it was just the gray and white queen left in the nursery. Dustydawn was wrapped protectively around all four of her kits, pelt bristling. She barely glanced up as Tricklewater entered.

"What's wrong?" Tricklewater asked. She had come in the night before, and Frostkit and Stormkit had seemed to be doing well, but now she could feel the heat of fever hit her nose as she got close.

Stoneriver pushed his way back into the den. "Stormkit is barely breathing," he said quickly. Tricklewater followed his gaze to the small kit. He was smaller than his siblings as it was, but now she could see that his chest barely rose and fell with every breath, and came in shallow gasps.

She thought quickly on what she would need, but then realized it might be pointless. Her heart sank in her chest. "Has he been able to eat anything?"

"He hasn't nursed all day," Dustydawn wailed, curling the small gray tom closer to her belly. She gave him a few desperate licks.

"Did you try giving him solid food?"

Grief flashed in Stoneriver's gaze. "He wouldn't even look at it."

Tricklewater let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Okay," she sighed. "I'm going to take him to my den before his siblings get sick and see what I can do, but..." She hesitated, avoiding the warriors' eyes. "I don't want to make a promise I can't keep."

Dustydawn bristled again, eyes wild with fear. "You are not taking my kit away from me!" she snarled. Tricklewater took a step back, startled.

Thankfully, Stoneriver rubbed his face against his mate's cheek, and her fur began to lie flat once more. "Tricklewater knows what she's doing," he reassured her, though his voice wavered briefly. Tricklewater dared take a step closer, but this time Dustydawn didn't stop her. Carefully, she nosed between the kits and grabbed Stormkit by the scruff. The little kit hardly made a sound as he was lifted away from his mother and taken out of the den.

As soon as she pushed past the lichen to her den, she dropped Stormkit in her own nest and began searching through her stores for something that might help. She pawed past chamomile and ragwort, sweet-sedge and dock. Finally, she pulled out some sorrel and juniper berries. The sorrel would help increase Stormkit's appetite, and the berries might make the tart sorrel leaves go down a little easier and help his breathing. Tricklewater set aside a few of each and began chewing them into a pulp.

It felt like moons before she had finally managed to get Stormkit to swallow the herbs. He had grown so weak overnight that it took several attempts and some false promises of it being part of the apprentice ceremony to get him to swallow anything. When she was done, Tricklewater pulled back with a loud sigh and glanced around her den.

Crowfur had woken up at some point. He was watching her now, a little light returned to his pale green eyes. "Didn't like the taste?" he rasped.

"Not one bit," she replied, chest feeling a little lighter from the tom's amused tone. She stole another glance at the kit's sleeping form, hardly a speck in Tricklewater's nest. "I'm worried that won't be enough."

Crowfur blinked sympathetically. "You did the best you could, regardless. No one can blame you for that."

She sighed again. "You're right. How are _you_ feeling?" She took a few paces forward and pressed her nose to his forehead. To her relief, it was a little warm, but clearly no longer a fever.

"My throat's sore," he admitted as she pulled away, "and I'm still a little tired, but I feel better than I did yesterday."

Tricklewater felt a wave of relief wash over her. "That's good to hear," she purred. She turned to the other two patients in the den. Pebblepaw's chest rose and fell gently as she slept, tail wrapped over her nose. Ivystem was a little more sprawled out in her nest. Tricklewater tilted her head as she looked over the brown warrior from afar. "Did Ivystem wake up at all?"

Crowfur blinked. "I don't think so. Why?"

Panic bubbled in Tricklewater's chest. Even the sickest cats woke up at least once a day, but Ivystem hadn't been up since the morning before, when Tricklewater had tried futility to get her to eat something. She rushed across the den and pressed her ear to the warrior's chest.

Tricklewater paused, eyes wide. She pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Crowfur asked. "Is she okay?"

She shook her head. "She's dead. She must have died overnight. Oh, StarClan, I didn't even notice!" Something crawled its way up her stomach, making her sick. Crowfur scrambled to his paws and across the den, pressing a paw to Ivystem's still chest. Silence overtook them as grief circled its way into the den.

"It's not your fault," he reassured her. Tricklewater wasn't sure she believed him. "She never liked to show weakness, you know that."

"I should have _noticed_."

Crowfur rested his tail over her shoulders as her head sunk in grief. "It's not your fault," he repeated, a little more gently. "Do you want me to go tell Bloodstar?"

Tricklewater hesitated. "No, I'll go. Just keep an eye on Stormkit and Pebblepaw for me." He dipped his head.

Outside seemed uncharacteristically bright with a death in their midst. Tricklewater took a few deep breaths, the cool air chilling her lungs as she inhaled. It crystallized in the air as it left her nose, a tiny cloud forming and disappearing just as quickly. Ivystem wasn't the first patient she had lost, and surely she wouldn't be the last. Tricklewater only wished she _would_ be the last.

Finally composed, she stepped towards Bloodstar, who was currently engrossed in a game of badger attack with Sunkit and Blizzardkit. Tricklewater watched them for a few moments, her heart breaking at the thought of ruining their days with the news. But Ivystem had to be mourned and buried. Tricklewater cleared her throat to get their attention.

Bloodstar lifted her head, causing Blizzardkit to slide off her back. The kits began to complain, and Bloodstar opened her mouth to speak, but Tricklewater's expression must have been enough to change her mind. The black and white she-cat ushered the kits away and padded up to Tricklewater, shoulders already low.

"What happened?"

Tricklewater bowed her head. Grief made her voice shake. "Ivystem is dead."

Stunned silence filled the air. The few cats left in the clearing each lifted their heads, eyes wide with shock and horror. Thornfang let out a devastating yowl. Tricklewater felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out. The ground seemed to shake under her paws. She had to guess that Thornfang was feeling ten times worse at the loss of her littermate.

"I'm sorry," Tricklewater continued, "I tried, but she wouldn't eat and she wasn't responding to the catmint and-"

"It's not your fault," Bloodstar said quickly. The leader lifted her head and called out to Snowriver. "Can yo-"

"We've got it."

Tricklewater turned. Crowfur and Pebblepaw had already pulled Ivystem out of the medicine cat den and laid her outside in the open. Though Ivystem was thin and frail, from across the camp, she looked like she was sleeping. They shuffled awkwardly back towards the den as soon as they let go of Ivystem's scruff. "We thought it might be best if no one else came into the den." Crowfur glanced longingly at Thornfang, but with a quick dip of his head, he and Pebblepaw disappeared back inside without another word.

"I'd better go check on Pebblepaw and Stormkit," Tricklewater breathed. Her head was spinning, now. She couldn't let another one die, not now that they had lost an otherwise perfectly healthy cat.

To her surprise, Bloodstar followed, close on her heels. Tricklewater slid to a halt at the entrance to her den.

"Can we talk?" Bloodstar asked.

Tricklewater blinked. "Sure. Give me a moment." She slipped inside, alone.

"Stormkit is still sleeping," Crowfur announced as she entered. She nodded gratefully.

"You two can go mourn Ivystem." Both cats lifted their heads in surprise. Tricklewater simply bowed. "No sickness should stop a cat from grieving. Just keep a safe distance from the healthy cats."

Apparently eager to be out of the stuffy den, Crowfur and Pebblepaw dipped their heads and scrambled out of the den. They were replaced by Bloodstar only a heartbeat later. The black and white she-cat sat awkwardly at the front of the den, as though unsure of whether or not it was okay for her to be in there.

Tricklewater took her own seat next to Stormkit, where she could easily keep an eye on him as they spoke. "What did you want to talk about?"

Bloodstar hesitated. "I'm starting to think this isn't a normal greencough outbreak."

Already, Tricklewater knew where this was heading. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I'm the medicine cat, here. It's a greencough outbreak."

"No, I know that. But Ivystem was perfectly healthy, and you're a great medicine cat. It doesn't quite make sense."

Tricklewater knew Bloodstar had no intention of offending her, but she had managed it, nonetheless. She dug her claws into the earth and clenched her jaw. "There are plenty of reasons it could have happened."

"I found gray fur on our territory the other day."

"So? We have plenty of gray warriors."

"But it didn't smell like a Clan cat!"

Tricklewater lashed her tail. "I'm not having this argument again!" she snapped. "The dead can't just walk among the living, and they _certainly_ can't make cats sick!"

"I _saw_ him! He was on our territory!"

"He's _dead!_ "

"Uh, sorry to interrupt."

Both she-cats turned, fur still bristling. Windheart blinked hesitantly. "There was a thorn in my nest.." she said, awkwardness lacing her tongue. Tricklewater waved Windheart in and Bloodstar out, anger having overtaken her grief.


	14. Bird of Prey

Stormcloud let out a yawn as he stepped out of the warrior's den, letting the sunlight warm his fur. The last few days had been cold and rainy, and he was relieved to see the sun show itself once more. Perhaps the prey would come out of hiding, too.

As he glanced around the clearing, he saw some of his Clanmates already awake and going about their business. Nightclaw was ducking through the entrance tunnel with Windfang and Icewhisker on her heels, off for the dawn patrol. Thunderpaw and Robinpaw yawned next to Rainpaw as the medicine cat apprentice told them something, probably explaining the different herbs he had to learn. Birch was already wide awake, her belly having rounded out a little more with her kits. Bramble and leaves had intertwined with her tabby pelt as she worked through them to reinforce the nursery, listening carefully to Leafstorm's instructions.

He had been surprised to hear Emberstar's announcement that Birch and Falcon could stay, as long as they upheld the warrior code. Somehow he had gotten the impression that the rest of the Clan would have done their best to keep the rogues from staying a heartbeat longer, but in the end, they had managed to fit in well. Though Falcon still struggled to live with other cats and learn the warrior code, he was an efficient hunter and a good asset to have, and Birch had become so taken with Clan life that more than once Stormcloud could have sworn he had heard her muttering possible warrior names for herself under her breath. She had declined the offer at first, but perhaps now she was reconsidering.

As he watched her, anxiety gnawed at his chest. Emberstar had only mentioned their joining the Clan in passing at the last Gathering, and they hadn't even been present. Stormcloud couldn't help but wonder whether or not welcoming them so secretly would bode poorly for the rest of their lives there. Perhaps he could take Falcon on a patrol near the ForestClan border in the coming days.

Regardless of his own feelings, Falcon and Birch had been officially welcomed as warriors of IceClan, and that meant they both had to contribute. Stormcloud gave his chest a quick few licks and turned back into the warrior's den.

"Falcon?" he called. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted the large tabby tom shift in his nest. 

"What?" The reply came as a tired grunt. He lifted his head, dark green eyes shining back at Stormcloud with a half-glazed appearance.

Stormcloud felt a small pang at the lack of respect, but reminded himself that Falcon had lived alone most of his life. "I want you to come with me and Snowcloud to train the apprentices, today."

At the sound of her name, the snowy she-cat lifted her head with a wide yawn. "Dawn already? I'll collect the 'paws." With a quick nod at Stormcloud, she rose to her paws and strode out of the den. Falcon was a little slower to rise.

"Why do I have to come?" he sighed. Though his tone was harsh, he followed Stormcloud into the camp without any real fuss.

"I thought it would be good for you to see some of the techniques we teach them," Stormcloud replied honestly. "Maybe let them practice on you." His tail curled as Tigerpaw and Violetpaw were dragged out of their nests for the day. "Tigerpaw keeps saying he could take you in a fight."

Falcon snorted. "Like hedgehogs can fly." Stormcloud's chest lightened at his retort. Maybe he _would_ fit in with the Clan.

The toms waited patiently for Snowcloud to gather the apprentices and bring them to the camp entrance. All four were yawning, still blinking sleep out of their eyes. Tigerpaw's expression brightened as he spotted the former rogue waiting with Stormcloud, but the same could not be said for Thunderpaw and Robinpaw. The two exchanged a startled glance as they approached, somewhat warily, and to Stormcloud's surprise they let Tigerpaw and Violetpaw get ahead of them with relative ease.

He tilted his head, puzzled. Normally his two sons had to be better than Tigerpaw and Violetpaw at anything they could - that included reaching the head mentor for the day's training. Were they concerned that Falcon would be joining them? Stormcloud flicked his gaze to the tabby, but he was giving his pelt a quick wash, and didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss. Whiskers twitching, Stormcloud turned back to the rest of their group as they arrived from across the camp.

"Fa-" he began, but Tigerpaw's excited yelp cut him off.

"Is Falcon helping us train today?!"

Falcon puffed out his chest, and Stormcloud flicked his tail irritably. " _Yes_ , as I was about to tell you," he growled.

Violetpaw's eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't _we_ be teaching _him_ something? He's not a warrior." Snowcloud cuffed her over the ear.

"That's enough. He's a grown cat and has a lot more experience than you do." Something in her eyes told Stormcloud that she wished desperately that anyone else had agreed to help the apprentices with their training, now that she knew how the apprentices would react to Falcon. He blinked sympathetically. 

Once it was clear the apprentices did _not_ get a say in who joined their training session, Stormcloud led the way out of camp and down towards the Twolegplace that bordered the north of their territory.

The training hollow was at the base of the foothills, where Twolegs had once flattened the rocky hills and trees to make room for their nests. Further up the valley, the nests were built into the cliffs and probably into the mountains to the north, but on the border of IceClan territory, the strange creatures had decided not to do that and live on flat ground. But because of this, the area at the edge of IceClan territory had become overgrown and the ground had softened, making for the ideal place to teach battle moves to apprentices.

Thunderpaw stretched his back with a yawn as they arrived. His back leg, twisted awkwardly inward, barely grazed the ground.

"Couldn't we have trained on the plateau?" Robinpaw complained, brushing a leaf off his ear with one paw. Stormcloud twitched his whiskers.

"We could have, if you didn't mind feeling bruised tomorrow," he replied.

Violetpaw wrinkled her nose as she glanced towards the border. "The hollow is way too close to Twolegplace."

Now they were just being difficult. Stormcloud suppressed a deep sigh, instead digging his claws into the soft earth, not quite hardened for leaf-bare. "If you prefer, we could train in the woods on the other side, where we might run into a ForestClan patrol and catch greencough from them." Violetpaw shut her mouth with a snap.

But Falcon suddenly looked alarmed. "They have greencough?"

"A small outbreak," Snowcloud explained. "Or at least, that's what Bloodstar said at the Gathering. They didn't bring a lot of cats with them." Falcon still seemed apprehensive.

"But they went to a Gathering? Aren't all the Clans there?"

"They kept their distance," Stormcloud assured him. "And Bloodstar wouldn't bring any cat that was showing signs of being sick; rivalries aside, no leader would want to spread greencough to every cat by the lake."

Snowcloud nodded, curling her long tail around her paws. "I wouldn't worry about it. As long as we keep our distance until the outbreak is over, we'll be fine."

At the centre of the hollow, Robinpaw flopped onto his side and rolled onto his back, staring at the sky through the trees. "Are we going to actually _do_ anything?" he asked a little louder than necessary. Thunderpaw and Tigerpaw let out snorts of laughter as the brown and orange tom pretended to fall asleep.

Stormcloud shook out his pelt and nodded. They couldn't stand there gossiping all day. "All right," he ordered, "pair up. Thunderpaw and Robinpaw, warm up with the half-turn belly rake. Violetpaw and Tigerpaw, the duck and twist." He ignored Tigerpaw's wail of protest and turned to Falcon as the four apprentices began their practice.

"I like to have them warm up with something we've already covered," he explained simply. "It gets them ready to practice, and gives them a good review." As Robinpaw twisted underneath his brother, Thunderpaw lowered his belly, trapping him underneath and giving him a mouthful of fur. Stormcloud felt a purr rumble in his throat. "Robinpaw, you have to be a little faster than that!"

"It also gives you time to think of something to teach them," Snowcloud retorted with a flick of her ear. She was watching Tigerpaw and Violetpaw intently, as though they were her own apprentices. "How about the jump and pin? We can use the trees as walls."

Stormcloud blinked in surprise. "Are Tigerpaw and Violetpaw ready for that?" Snowcloud shrugged.

"Size doesn't really apply for that one, just momentum."

"What's the jump and pin?" asked Falcon, now a little more interested. 

"We'll explain. Alright, break it up!" Snowcloud called to the 'paws. Stormcloud lashed his tail, a little irritated that she had decided without him.

Tigerpaw leapt to his paws and practically hopped over to the warriors, dark amber eyes gleaming. "What are we learning?"

"The jump and pin. Stormcloud?"

He jumped. He had half-expected Snowcloud to take over, since she had decided what they would teach them, anyway. Stormcloud cleared his throat and straightened himself. "The jump and pin is a little bit complicated, but very useful in our territory with all the cliffs. Falcon, could you stand over there?" He pointed to a spot a few tail-lengths away with his tail. Shrugging, the massive tabby tom strode over, casting a narrow-eyed glance behind him. Stormcloud ran to catch up.

"The basic idea," he said, "is to use something like a wall or tree to give yourself momentum to pin a cat. Ideally, you want to leap backward onto the wall, then push yourself off back towards your opponent. I'll demonstrate."

He moved so that he was between a thick-trunked tree and Falcon, squaring his shoulders. In one quick motion, he bunched his muscles and leapt back, hitting the tree trunk with his hind legs. Then, he pushed off as hard as he could towards Falcon. The larger tom tried to dodge left, eyes wide, but Stormcloud was faster. He tackled into him and they toppled to the ground, Falcon's legs buckling from the impact.

The apprentices let out gasps of surprise and awe as the two toms stood back up, shaking dried leaves and grass out of their fur. Falcon gave his chest a few quick licks.

"You Clan cats sure come up with some interesting techniques," he commented. Stormcloud felt a little pride bubble up in his chest.

"Okay," he continued, "I want you four to start by practicing leaping backwards onto a tree. Once you can do that, practice pushing off and getting as far as you can. You can start." Leaping to their paws, the apprentices ran off in different directions, each loudly claiming a tree for their own. Snowcloud walked around to each in turn, making sure they had at least chosen a tree that was sturdy enough to support their weight before they started jumping on them.

Falcon frowned. "Why am I here, again?"

"Teaching apprentices is a Clan affair," Stormcloud replied. "Everyone has different experiences and different things to offer. Although their mentors are in _charge_ of their training, we try to make sure the apprentices learn from as many warriors as they can. Besides," he added lightheartedly, "you're bigger than all of them - you're a good practice target." Falcon rolled his eyes.

"Great."

To Stormcloud's surprise, all of the apprentices picked up the technique quickly, and were soon practicing on sticks and pebbles, competing with one another to leap the farthest. Violetpaw had managed to be the most accurate thus far, while Robinpaw had made the longest leap, with Tigerpaw close behind. Thunderpaw was struggling, only able to use one leg to kick off with, but his ice blue eyes blazed with a determination that sparked admiration in Stormcloud for his son. He seemed to be performing the technique near-perfectly, and only really struggled with getting enough momentum to leap the right distance.

Violetpaw and Robinpaw turned just as Tigerpaw made his leap from the tree, legs outstretched, and skidded across the clearing on his landing. Stormcloud pushed back a laugh. "Your distance is good, but if you miss your opponent, then all that work was for nothing."

"Can we practice on a _real_ target?" Violetpaw begged.

Stormcloud couldn't bring himself to refuse her request. She was the only one who had grasped the importance of the accuracy part of the move, and a real target might help the others get it as well. He nodded and flicked his tail for Falcon to take a place in the centre of the clearing.

"We'll go one at a time - Snowcloud and I will correct you after each attempt. You are all to try and pin Falcon with the jump and pin, but," he paused, adding a glance at the tabby tom, "he's not going to just stand there and let you do it."

"Let's make it a contest," suggested Snowcloud. "Whoever manages to pin him down gets first pick off the fresh-kill pile."

This brightened the apprentices' spirits, but Violetpaw tilted her head. "What if none of us do it?"

"Well, then I suppose Falcon would get first pick off the fresh-kill pile."

The tom in question perked up a bit at this. Stormcloud nodded his approval and pointed to Robinpaw with his tail. "We'll go around in a circle. Robinpaw, you first."

One by one, the apprentices made their attempt to pin down Falcon. Robinpaw, rather predictably, missed entirely, flinging himself over a ducking Falcon and landing on the other side, barely able to catch himself before he fell over. Thunderpaw went next, and though he reached his target, his momentum wasn't enough to actually knock Falcon off his paws, and Thunderpaw rolled away with a snort. Falcon shook out his pelt as though the two brothers hadn't even tried to reach him.

Violetpaw went next, and nearly got him, but Falcon twisted to the side at the last second, surprising Stormcloud with the speed with which he moved. Violetpaw landed on his back and slid off as he moved. She let out a yelp and flipped onto her back.

Stormcloud watched Tigerpaw intently as he squared up. Because he was last, he had had time to see what the others had done wrong, and his surprising size for his age could easily give him an advantage over his denmates. Falcon narrowed his eyes and tensed, ready to dodge.

Tigerpaw leapt back and pushed off with his strong back legs, landing squarely on Falcon's shoulders. The larger tom growled and tried to twist away, but Tigerpaw wrapped his paws around Falcon's legs and the two toppled to the ground. Falcon let out a hiss, pushing Tigerpaw off of him and pressing his weight on the apprentice's chest. Tigerpaw squeaked in surprise, the squeak turning into a cry as Falcon's weight pushed him into the ground, the earth bunching underneath them. The apprentice opened his mouth in a gasp, flailing against Falcon's grip, ears flat against his head.

Panic made Stormcloud's voice crack as he shouted, "Enough!" Falcon froze and backed up, allowing Tigerpaw to rise to his paws and catch his breath. Violetpaw rushed to her littermate's side, nearly tripping over herself in the process.

"We are _never_ that rough with our Clanmates," Snowcloud snapped, tail lashing. "You could have crushed him!"

"Are you okay?" asked Stormcloud. Tigerpaw nodded, eyes wide, but he seemed more impressed than scared. Across the clearing, Robinpaw and Thunderpaw widened their eyes, pressing closer to each other, and their short fur bristling. Stormcloud turned back to Falcon. "An honourable warrior does _not_ kill to win their battles," he scolded. "Especially not in a training session."

"I didn't mean to hurt him," Falcon huffed. Violetpaw bristled at his tone, but a sharp look from Snowcloud made her fur lie flat once more.

"Tigerpaw managed to pin you, so he gets first pick at prey," Snowcloud ordered. She circled the apprentices protectively, urging them out of the clearing. "You can eat _after_ the rest of us have. Are we clear?"

Falcon nodded and watched her lead the apprentices away before following a little more slowly. Stormcloud kept pace with him. He could only hope this wouldn't be a common occurrence, but Falcon was a rogue all his life - Stormcloud couldn't help but understand why his instinct had been to fight like his life depended on it.

Their walk back to camp was silent.


End file.
